His role was diplomacy, negotiation, and the management of relationships with outside powers.

He was exceptionally skilled at this role.

He was also, structurally, limited by the nature of Cheyenne political authority — he could represent, advocate, and lead by persuasion, but he could not command obedience.

He was born around 1803, which means he came of age on the central plains during the period of Cheyenne cultural florescence — the decades when the Cheyenne had established themselves as one of the dominant peoples of the region and when the pressures of American expansion were only beginning to make themselves felt.

The Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 and the First Commitments