Two Moons
Indigenous American chief
Two Moons (c. 1847-1917), or Ishaynishus (Cheyenne: Éše'he Ôhnéšesêstse), was one of the Cheyenne chiefs who took part in the Battle of the Little Bighorn and other battles against the United States Army.
01Life
Two Moons was the son of Carries the Otter, an Arikara captive who married into the Cheyenne tribe. Perhaps known best for his participation in battles such as the Battle of the Rosebud against General Crook on June 17, 1876, in the Montana Territory, the Battle of Little Big Horn on June 25, 1876 and what would prove to be his last battle, the Battle of Wolf Mountain on January 8, 1877. Two Moons' defeat at Wolf Mountain by General Nelson A. Miles led inevitably to the surrender of his Cheyenne band to Miles at Fort Keogh in April 1877.
After the surrender of his Cheyenne band, Two Moons enlisted as an Indian Scout under General Miles. As a result of Two Moons' pleasant personality, the friendliness that he showed towards the whites, as well as his ability to get along with the military, General Miles appointed him head Chief of the Cheyenne Northern Reservation. As head Chief, Two Moons played a crucial role in the surrender of Chief Little Cow's Cheyenne band at Fort Keogh.
02Northern Cheyenne Reservation
Two Moons traveled on multiple occasions to Washington, D.C., to discuss and fight for the future of the Northern Cheyenne people and to better the conditions that existed on the reservation. In 1914, Two Moons met with President Woodrow Wilson to discuss these matters.
Two Moons was one of the three models, along with Iron Tail, selected for James Fraser's famous Buffalo Nickel (1913-1938).
A park in Yellowstone County, Montana along the Yellowstone River is named in Two Moons honor.
03Death
Two Moons died in 1917 at his home in Montana at the age of 70. Two Moons' grave lies alongside U.S. Route 212, west of Busby, Montana.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Two Moons”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Two Moons Cheyenne Chief.jpg by Edward S. Curtis, Public domain
- Indian Head Buffalo Obverse.jpg by 1935_Indian_Head_Buffalo_Nickel.jpg: Original uploader was Bobby131313 at en.wikipedia derivative work: Wehwalt (talk), Public domain
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