The Arapahos (also called Arapahoes or Gens de Vache in French) are a Native American tribe that lived during the era of European settlement on the eastern plains of Colorado and Wyoming.
History
The Arapaho people consist of approximately 5,000 individuals. They were close allies of the Cheyenne and generally the Sioux. Less belligerent than the Cheyenne, the Arapaho have a contemplative character, inclined towards spirituality.
Their Sun Dance ritual is the most complex of any of the Plains Indians, and the voluntary tortures the dancers inflict on themselves are among the harshest. Unlike that of the Cheyenne, the Arapaho Sun Dance takes place in the open air around the Sacred Tree, like that of the Lakotas.
Once established in their new territory the people began to expand their presence on the plains through trade, warfare and alliances with other tribes.
They formed with the Cheyenne an Algonquin-speaking enclave in the West. The Northern Arapaho now reside on the Wind River Indian Reservation north of Lander in Wyoming. Part of the Arapahos people were separated from the group and formed an independent people called "Atsinas" or "Gros Ventres".
It would seem that the Arapaho lived in Minnesota and North Dakota before the arrival of Europeans. The expansion of the latter would have pushed them west into Colorado, Wyoming and Kansas. When the United States placed most of the Indians on reservations, a group of Arapahos were sent to Oklahoma. They shared the reservation with the Cheyenne and the Cheyenne and Arapaho cultures evolved together.
The Arapaho lived in buffalo hide tepees. They were a people of farmers who cultivated corn in particular. Before being sent to the reserves, they often migrated according to the movements of the bison herds; so they had designed their tepees in such a way that they could be easily transported. It has been said that an entire village could pack up in just one hour.
Originally, they used dogs to pull sleds (or travois) carrying their goods. They replaced dogs with European horses when they discovered them, which allowed them to pull larger loads, hunt more game, and travel faster and over greater distances. Later, they became great traders selling furs to other tribes and non-Indians. Many believe that the name Arapaho comes from the Pawnee word meaning traders.
Children often fished and hunted with their fathers for entertainment. While they had many more chores than the current Arapaho, they still had time to play many games. One of these games consisted of a hoop with a net and a stick that had to be thrown into the center of the net. Note the similarity with the game of darts.
Nowadays, some Arapaho have taken up gambling and the casino industry. Some have their own casino; we will particularly mention the Arapaho Casino located in Wyoming.
Arapaho names
The Arapaho gave names that are often rooted in the nature that surrounds them, in the supernatural forces they perceive, in the qualities of people, or in other life events, often related to birth. Just like all Native American peoples whose Etymology of Native American first names is similar.
Natane:feminine first name which means "daughter" or "my daughter".
Ethete:feminine first name which means "she laughs"