In Oklahoma, the Arapaho live mostly in rural
areas near the towns of Canton, Greenfield and Geary in Blaine
County, and at Colony in Washita
County. The name Arapaho originates in the Pawnee term tirapihu (or
larapihu), "he buys or trades", probably applied to the
tribe from the fact that they were the trading group in the Great Plains
region. The Arapaho call themselves Inun-ina "our
people" or "people of our own kind".
The Arapaho being one of the westernmost tribes
of the Algonquian linguistic family, the tribal group in Oklahoma being
the largest group of the tribe. Members of the Northern Arapaho who live
on the Wind River reservation in Wyoming call the Oklahoma group,
Southern Arapaho (Nawathi'neha), "Southerners".
The Arapaho retained a nominal tribal government
and twelve chiefs were selected by the old scout and retired Arapaho
Chief, Ute. The twelve chiefs were Jesse Rowlodge, David Meat, John
Hoof, Dan Blackhorse, Ben Spotted Wolf, Bill Williams, Wilburn Tabor,
John Sleeper, Annanita Washee, Scott Youngman, Saul Birdshead, and
Thodore Haury (deceased). Two Cheyenne's were elected by custom to serve
as Arapaho chiefs, Ben Buffalo and Ralph Whitetail.
Photos - Chief
Little Raven Little
Raven Photos Stories
of the Arapaho Nation