Public Talk | Cheyenne Poet and Educator Dr. Richard E. Littlebear -- "There Wasn't a Name for It:" Cheyenne Language, Land, and Loss after Sand Creek
"There Wasn't a Name for It:" Cheyenne Language, Land, and Loss after Sand Creek with Cheyenne Poet and Educator, Dr. Richard E. Littlebear
When: Thursday, October 15th | 5:30 - 7:00 PM
Where: Chancellor's Auditorium, CASE Building, ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ campus or VIA ZOOM
Richard Littlebear is a Cheyenne educator, poet, and leader with a deep and far-reaching understanding of his people’s language, culture, and history. Growing up on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, he was especially influenced by his grandmother, who told him stories in Cheyenne of the massacres at Sand Creek and Washita, the momentous victory at the Greasy Grass/Little Bighorn, his people’s return to their Montana homelands after their captivity at Fort Robinson, and other momentous events.
Dr. Littlebear will reflect on his personal and tribal history, the ongoing impact of settler colonial violence and dispossession, and the continuing efforts that he and others are undertaking to save and perpetuate the Cheyenne language. Dr. Littlebear’s talk on October 15th honors Indigenous Peoples Week 2026. Held 150 years after Colorado statehood and CU’s establishment, this event invites us all to probe the vital connections linking Indigenous education and language preservation to Native American rights movements, historical reconciliation, and land return.
This event will be conversational, combining prepared remarks by Dr. Littlebear with questions moderated from audiences both in-person and via Zoom.
CNAIS is a proud co-sponsor of event. Please register for event below.
