But “as they came into view of the wonderful camp the Dog lodge instantly disappeared and the Dog-Men were transformed into dogs. The Dog Men blessed the man and promised that he should be successful in all of his undertakings and that his people, his society, and his band would become the greatest of all if he carried out their instructions.” The camp circle and the center lodge had the appearance of a real camp circle for three long days. The Dog Men began to sing, and the man listened very attentively and learned several songs from them, their ceremony, and their dancing forms. As they entered the lodge they turned into human beings, dressed like members of the Dog-Men Society.
As soon as the lodge appeared, all the dogs rushed towards it. The lodge was formed of the skins of the buffalo. The lodge included the leaning tree by which the man sat there were three other saplings, trimmed at the base with the boughs left at the top. Immediately the dogs ran from him and arranged themselves in the form of a semi-circle about him, like the shape of the camp-circle they had left then they lay down to rest as the dogs lay down, by some mysterious power, there sprang up over the man in the center of the circle a lodge. The man sat down by a tree that leaned toward the north. As the sun rose he and all the dogs arrived at a river bottom which was partly timbered and level. Four times he sang before he reached his destination at daybreak. All the dogs of the whole camp followed him, both male and female, some carrying in their mouths their puppies. At the opening of the camp circle, he ceased singing and went out. Again he sang then he walked out to the opening of the camp circle, singing as he went. The people were all sleeping in their lodges and did not hear him. The man sang from sunset to midnight then he began to wail. While he sang the people noticed that now and then the large and small dogs throughout the camp whined and howled and were restless. At sunset, he began to sing a sacred song. He prayed to the Great Prophet and the Great Medicine Man to assist him. That evening he was sad, and he sat in the midst of the whole camp. The other medicine men had had no difficulty in establishing their societies, but this young man, when his turn came to organize, was ridiculed, for he was not a medicine-man, and had no influence to induce others to follow his leadership. No one was anxious to join him, so he was alone all that day. One morning the young man went through the entire camp and to the center of the camp circle, announcing that he was about to form a society. “The Dog-Man (Dog Soldier) Society was organized after the organization of the other societies, by a young man without influence, but who was chosen by the great Prophet. Dorsey in The Cheyenne Ceremonial Organization, 1905: The best version of the story of its origin is that recorded by George A. Of these organizations, none played such a part in the history of the Plains as the “Dog Soldiers” of the Cheyenne.
Each society had its own songs and secret ritual and exacted certain observances and standards of its members. These societies were fraternal, military, and semi-religious organizations with special privileges, duties, and dress, usually tracing their origin to some mythical culture hero or medicine man. In short, they were preeminently warriors among peoples whose trade was war.Īs in other Plains tribes, the warriors of the Cheyenne were organized into societies or orders. Few in number, they overcame or held in check most of the peoples who opposed them, and when the westward movement of European civilization began, they made more trouble than all the rest combined. Of all the typical Plains tribes, the Cheyenne were most distinguished for warlike qualities. An Ohio reporter covering the negotiations at Medicine Lodge, Kansas on October 27, 1867.
The awesome warriors were “armed to the teeth with revolvers and bows… proud, haughty, defiant as should become those who are to grant favors, not beg them.”
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