BLACKKETTLE
Black Kettle
(ca. 1803–November 27, 1868)
Cheyenne Peace Chief
B
lack Kettle was steadfastly friendly to-
ward the United States and strove to
accommodate white demands in the in-
terest of peace. These good intentions
notwithstanding, he fell victim to two of the
worst atrocities ever inflicted upon Native
Americans by white soldiers.
Black Kettle (Moka-ta-va-tah) was born in
the Black Hills region of South Dakota around
1803, a son of Cheyenne chief Swift Hawk
Lying Down. When that migratory nation split
into two factions around 1832, Black Kettle
accompanied the portion that become recog-
nized as the Southern Cheyenne. Little is
known of his youth, but he was apparently a
skillful warrior of some repute. He distin-
guished himself in campaigns against his tra-
ditional Ute, Pawnee, and Comanche ene-
mies, and he was rewarded with his first wife.
As Black Kettle’s reputation soared, so did his
responsibilities within the tribe, which in-
cluded carrying the sacred Medicine Arrows
into combat against neighboring Delaware In-
dians. However, in the summer of 1857 he en-
countered a new enemy in the form of U.S.
soldiers. The Cheyennes had recently begun
skirmishing with settlers encroaching upon
their lands, and an expedition under Col.
Edwin V. Sumner was dispatched against
them. On July 29, 1857, Black Kettle wit-
nessed or participated in a battle in which
U.S. cavalry, sabers drawn, scattered the
Cheyenne warriors. This was admittedly a
minor affair, but it underscored the military
strength of the white man. Thereafter, Black
Kettle became convinced of the necessity of
cultivating friendly relations with these seem-
ingly innumerable invaders from the east.
In 1860, Black Kettle’s reputation for brav-
ery and sagacity resulted in his elevation to
peace chief of the Southern Cheyenne. As the
title implies, it became his sacred responsibil-
ity to act with prudence, restraint, and caution
while deliberating matters of war. He first
came to the attention of frontier authorities in
1861 by signing the Treaty of Fort Wise, which
secured a tenuous truce for the region. But
Black Kettle’s attempts at mediation were
complicated by the rise of the Dog Soldiers, a
militant warrior sect intolerant toward white
encroachment and quick to respond with vio-
lence. But by 1864, both sides were weary of
incessant conflict, and the chief sent out peace
feelers to Maj. Edward Wynkoop, commander
at nearby Fort Lyon. Wynkoop, who enter-
tained a Cheyenne deputation, declared he had
no authority to conclude hostilities and sug-
gested that the chiefs appeal directly to Gover-
nor John Evans of the Colorado Territory.
Black Kettle, eager for harmonious relations,
demonstrated his goodwill by purchasing the
freedom of several white prisoners with his
own ponies and called for a peace conference.
On September 28, 1864, Black Kettle met
with Governor Evans and John Chivington,
newly appointed colonel of the Colorado mili-
tia. He declared with great eloquence the
need for peace, mutual respect, and tolera-
tion, and as a sign of good faith he instructed
his party to surrender their weapons. “All we
ask is that we may have peace with the
whites,” Black Kettle declared. “I want you to
give all the chiefs of the soldiers here to un-
derstand that we are for peace, and that we
have made peace, that we may not be mis-
taken for enemies.” But Evans, desiring ac-
cess to Indian lands for mining and settle-
ment, waxed indifferently as to a treaty and
warned the Indians that the Southern Plains
would soon be swarming with soldiers. How-
ever, he informed the Cheyennes that they
would be safe from attack once relocated to
Sand Creek, about 40 miles from Fort Lyon.
The trusting Black Kettle agreed to those
terms and departed, relieved that hostilities
were approaching an end.