The Powder River was central to their seasonal movement, their hunting range, and their understanding of their territorial sovereignty.

Red Cloud’s leadership during the conflict reflected this specific Oglala stake in the outcome.

The Brulé Lakota were another significant band.

Their relationship to the Powder River Country was somewhat different — their primary territory was farther south, and some Brulé leaders had been more inclined toward accommodation with American expansion.

But the Bozeman Trail conflict pulled even bands with more accommodating tendencies into the broader resistance, because the pattern of American expansion made clear that accommodation in one area typically produced demands for accommodation in the next.

The Northern Cheyenne had been pushed north by previous American pressure and had become closely associated with the Lakota in occupying and defending the Powder River region.