When an attack was authorized by military command and could be dressed in the language of legitimate military operation, those institutions were less effective.

The Medicine Lodge Treaty’s Broken Promises

The Medicine Lodge Treaty of 1867, despite the good faith of some of its negotiators, was broken almost immediately in ways that illustrate the systemic failures of American Indian policy.

The treaty promised rations and annuities to the Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho in exchange for their agreement to the reservation.

The goods consistently failed to arrive on schedule, were often inadequate when they did arrive, and were sometimes stolen by corrupt agents before reaching the communities they were intended for.

The reservation itself was in territory that was ill-suited to the plains hunting economy that the Cheyenne had developed over generations.