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Dog Soldiers 2008

September 19- October 1 2008

Go Native America is included in this year's National Geographic Traveler's 50 Tours Of A Lifetime

“Dog Soldiers were the most famous of the Cheyenne bands and the least understood by the whites” recollected George Bent, the illustrious Southern Cheyenne historian. On this journey we search for that understanding and discover the Dog Soldiers as we traverse Colorado, Montana, the sacred Black Hills, Nebraska and the heartland of the Dog Soldiers, the Smokey Hill Country of Kansas, as we follow the Great Raids, the Hancock Campaign, and more.

"When your time comes to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death... Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home."

Past Tour Members Say...

Just a wee note to say how much I enjoyed our Dog Soldiers 2006 trip. It was wonderful. From the very emotional experiences of Sand Creek and Summit Springs to the joyful day we spent on the Northern Cheyenne reservation and all bits in between. I feel a lot better for it and its made me realise how much I love the west and what a special place it is. So, looking forward to the next journey, wherever that may take us. I was telling Serle it will be my 10th anniversary soon - do I get a clock?

Christine Farrell, Scotland

The holy Cheyenne mountain, Bear Butte ( by Les Voorhis)

Itinerary

The origin of the Dog Soldiers is found in the sacred narrative of Sweet Medicine, the holy Tsetsehesetahase (Cheyenne) prophet, and we travel with the Dog Soldiers from that sanctified beginning witnessing the Holy Mountain, Bear Butte, as we proceed. Walking within historic Dog Soldier Village sites, we explore the meanings of the most distinctive emblems of the society, including the Hotam’tsit, or Dog Rope, that a Dog Soldier uses to stake himself to the earth in the face of the enemy.

We discover how - and if - the ‘Dog Soldiers’ really became known as ‘outlaws' for a period among some constituents of the Cheyenne Nation. Later, in 1854, the Dog Soldiers achieved recognition as not only one of the formative Cheyenne Military Societies, but also as a distinct Cheyenne band, and we explore how this happened and place into context the full impact of this dynamic sociological development on the Cheyenne Nation.

The rise of the Dog Soldiers coincided with the establishment of Colorado Territory, overland trails, transcontinental communications and railroads which devastated the Cheyenne. As Manifest Destiny marched Westward, the Dog Men rose to defend the Cheyenne Nation and to resist the invasion and conquest. The Dog Soldiers were in the vanguard of Cheyenne resistance and their power reached it’s apex after the Sand Creek Massacre; we follow the route of the post-Sand Creek Raids, entering 1865 as we trail the Dog Soldiers through that remarkable campaign, one of the greatest undertaken in American history.

We follow the Dog Soldiers during General Winfield Scott Hancock's campaign, visiting the site of the famous village on the Pawnee Fork, and tracking the conflict that raged from Fort Larned to the posts on the Smokey Hill Trail, as men such as Roman Nose, Tall Bull, and White Horse battled to preserve their nation, just as Hancock, Custer and Major Eugene Carr sought to push their nation westwards.

We relive the triumph and tragedy at Beecher Island, and then gather at Summit Springs to explore July 11 1869, and to discuss the consequences of the Battle of Summit Springs and the reality, as opposed to the popular myth.