Most Northern Cheyenne still live on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. The tribal headquarters is located at Lame Deer, Montana. The Southern Cheyenne currently share federal trust lands with the Southern Ara-paho in Oklahoma. Their tribal headquarters is located at Concho. Farming, ranching, and the leasing of mineral rights play an important part in the economies of both groups.
The Sacred Arrows and the Sacred Buffalo Hat, passed down from earlier generations, are still revered by Cheyenne traditionalists. Traditional Cheyenne arts still practiced include pipe carving, woodworking, featherworking, leather-working, and quillworking. Other Cheyenne artists have made a name for themselves in fine arts, drawing on traditional themes.
A prominent Northern Cheyenne who has succeeded in politics while also pursuing the craft of jewelry-making is Ben Nighthorse Campbell from Colorado. After having served in the U. S. House of Representatives in 1987—92, he was elected to the U. S. Senate in 1992, becoming the first Native American to serve as a senator in more than 60 years. As such, he was central to passage of the bills renaming Custer National Monument to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument and founding the National Museum of the American Indian as part of the Smithsonian Institution. Nighthouse Campbell was reelected in November 1998, serving until 2004.
In 2002, the privately owned land where the Sand Creek Massacre took place was purchased and donated to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma. It is now known as the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, managed by the National Park Service.
World History
