an Algonquian-speaking Indian tribe of North America (seeALGONQUIAN LANGUAGES). Until the late 17th century the Cheyenne lived in settlements along the Minnesota River, in what is now Minnesota, and engaged in land cultivation. They were subsequently pushed by Sioux tribes to the South Dakota prairie. By the late 18th century the Cheyenne had become nomadic hunters of bison; their society was a military democracy. In 1832 the tribe split up into the Northern and Southern Cheyenne. In 1851 settlers began seizing the lands of the Cheyenne; despite stubborn resistance the tribe was overcome and was resettled on reservations in Montana, Wyoming, and Oklahoma. Today the Cheyenne, who according to the 1970 census number approximately 6,900, mainly work as hired laborers. Their religion combines Christian dogma and rituals with tribal cults.
a city in the western USA; capital of Wyoming. Population, 44,000 (1975). Cheyenne is a railroad and highway junction and the center of a large agricultural region. Industry in Cheyenne includes meat processing, oil refining, and the production of chemicals. Crude oil is produced and lignites and uranium ore are mined in the area.