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Gerry Robinson, Northern Cheyenne publishes new book about early Cheyenne history



From the book cover: “When our hearts turn to our ancestors, we feel something greater than ourselves.”

LAME DEER, Mont. – Monday, January 13, 2020, Gerry Robinson, Northern Cheyenne tribal member received a warm welcome home at Chief Dull Knife College (CDKC), Lame Deer where he held a book signing for his recently published book, A Cheyenne Story (An Interpretation of Courage).

The book of historical fiction, first of which Robinson plans as a trilogy, features the Northern Cheyenne experience from the first days after the Battle of the Little Big Horn until they were forced to Oklahoma. Future books Robinson said will focus on the early experience of the Northern Cheyenne returning to Montana and then Fort Keogh and Fort Robinson.  “This is an important contribution to our tribal history,” said Mina Seminole, CDKC Cultural Researcher.  “It is so important to tell our own stories.  It is very exciting, and we are proud of him.  Maybe this will encourage others of us to write more.  This is a real accomplishment for a Cheyenne to do this.  There are other books, but they were told to white authors.””

The protagonist is William Rowland, Robinson’s great-grandfather, a white man who arrived in Montana in 1849, who played a key role as interpreter during those dark days.  Also featured is Chief Little Wolf, a famous Northern Cheyenne historically largely credited with bringing a small band of Northern Cheyenne back to Montana in the 1880’s, an arduous trek chronicled in many books, features stories and even a movie.  Another group under the leadership of Chief Dull Knife was not as successful, many massacred at Fort Robinson, Nebraska, the remembrance of that observed on January 9th.

As a child in a family of twelve, Robinson grew up in the Ashland area of the reservation, where he then heard many stories of the oral tradition from tribal elders, which fascinated him, inspiring his current effort. “I came to writing late in life.  The sale of a landscaping business gave me more time to spend on it,” he explained.  “I had heard so many stories, but it was a jumble of information that sometimes did not seem cohesive.”

Robinson then spent sixteen years researching his book to blend tribal oral histories with other information gained from State Historical societies, museums, national archives, refreshing his memory from tribal elders, (closely related to many of them), visiting battlefields and even making three trips to Oklahoma where much of the book is set.  It includes much Cheyenne language and Robinson carefully consulted with linguistic experts to ensure correctness.  “You can’t write a book about Cheyennes without using the language,” he commented, noting that the book includes a glossary and pronunciation tips, Cheyenne generally regarded as one of the most challenging tribal languages to speak, write and read.

“I’m of a generation, just like now, where information about Cheyenne history, tradition and culture was very limited,” Robinson noted.  “That’s why I hope to tell a story from a tribal perspective, weaving the threads together.  In the book, William Rowland and Little Wolf, friends and contemporaries of that era were key players in many of the events that occurred – threads that wove through our history.”

As part of the effort Robinson will donate some copies of the new book to the CDKC library and for use by Native American and history instructors.

The book will be widely  available in the Great Plains region including the Montana Historical Society, Sweet Grass Books, Helena; the Montana Far Country Books; Amazon and the Sage and Oats gift shop, Helena, all accessible on-line.    Rowland can be reached at onlystones76@gmail.com.

 

(Contact Clara Caufield at acheyennevoice@gmail.com)

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