Cloud Chief , Vóhko'xénéhe , Chief
Biographical
Cloud Chief was a prominent leader of the Cheyenne tribe in the 19th century. His Cheyenne name was "Vóhko'xénéhe" which means "Cloud Chief" or "Chief of the Skies."
Cloud Chief was a member of the Northern Cheyenne and played a significant role in the tribe's resistance against the U.S. government's forced removal of the Cheyenne from their traditional lands in the mid-1800s. In 1864, he led a group of Cheyenne warriors in the Sand Creek Massacre, an attack on a peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho encampment in Colorado that resulted in the deaths of over 150 Indigenous people, mostly women, children, and elderly.
After the massacre, Cloud Chief continued to resist the U.S. government and its policies, and he played a role in several battles against the Army, including the Battle of the Rosebud in 1876. He was also present at the Battle of Little Bighorn, where he fought alongside other Cheyenne and Lakota leaders such as Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull.
In the aftermath of the battle, Cloud Chief and his people were forced to flee to Canada, where they lived in exile for several years before being allowed to return to the United States. He died in 1890, and his legacy as a Cheyenne leader and warrior is still remembered today.