Black Kettle (Mo-ta-vato/Mo'ohtavetoo'o, l. c. 1803-1868) was a chief of the Southern Cheyenne who became famous as a "peace chief" – seeking peaceful relations with the US government – as opposed to war chiefs such as Roman Nose (Cheyenne warrior). Even so, all Black Kettle's efforts were betrayed, and he was killed in the Washita Massacre in 1868.
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Definition
Timeline
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c. 1803 - 1868Life of Southern Cheyenne chief Black Kettle.
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1851Black Kettle signs the Treaty of Fort Laramie of 1851.
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1854Black Kettle loses his first wife to a raid by Ute warriors; marries Medicine-Woman-Hereafter.
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1854Black Kettle becomes a chief of the Southern Cheyenne and member of the Council of Forty-Four.
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1861Black Kettle signs the Treaty of Fort Wise of 1861.
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1863Black Kettle, possibly, is among the peace delegation sent to Washington, D.C.
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1864Black Kettle's camp is attacked and 150 killed in the Sand Creek Massacre.
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27 Nov 1868The Washita Massacre, in which Black Kettle's village of peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho was slaughtered by the 7th cavalry under Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer.
