History buffs gather at Tattered Cover Book Store for final historic lecture of the season

Lecture attendees observe historian Dee Cordry’s presentation in the Tattered Cover Book Store [Photo by Katherine Sweeney]

The Tesoro Cultural Center’s 2021-2022 series concluded on Sunday, May 1, with a speech from historian Dee Cordry on Southern Cheyenne history and his new book, Children of White Thunder.

The final lecture of this season began on an irregular note, as attendees were asked to shift to Tattered Cover’s upstairs section due to an oddly placed backpack in the store’s downstairs lecture room.

Despite technical issues that prevented the accompanying Powerpoint from being displayed, Cordry delivered his lecture from memory for the first time.

“What an attentive audience. This is what a speaker wants,” Cordry said.

Tesoro offered three opportunities to see each lecturer, with one appearance on Saturdays and two on Sundays. Cordy spoke at the Lone Tree Hub on Saturday, and followed his talk at the Tattered Cover Book Store with a dinner event at Tesoro’s restaurant, The Fort.

Cordry stressed the importance of connecting the present day to the past. His book, Children of White Thunder, delves into 190 years of Southern Cheyenne history, from 1830 to 2020.

Cordry’s research and writing surrounding the Cheyenne’s Keeper of the Sacred Medicine Arrows, White Thunder, stems from his time with former colleague Harvey Pratt, a descendant of White Thunder. Pratt and Cordry would trade information and documents, allowing them to each discover new information about Pratt’s ancestors. 

George Bent, White Thunder’s grandson, wrote a series of letters describing White Thunder’s role as the Keeper of the Arrows, and Cordry was fortunate enough to unearth one that was tucked away.

“​​I found an original handwritten letter at the Oklahoma Historical Society in an obscure folder, and they didn’t even know what it was, but it was very significant to me,” Cordry said.

After the Cheyenne lost their four sacred arrows to Pawnee scouts before an 1830 battle, White Thunder was tasked in crafting new arrows to replace the originals. In 1833, White Thunder walked back into the Pawnee village, and requested that the Pawnee chief return the arrows to the Cheyenne. The now-tainted original arrows were then presented as a sacrifice at the Cheyenne’s sacred space, Bear Butte.

Cordry emphasized White Thunder as an impressive figure in Southwest history, both for his exclusive knowledge of ritual and his knack for negotiation.

“Was his greatest accomplishment making those four replacement arrows, or was it his diplomacy?” Cordry said.

Pratt, a Cheyenne Peace Chief, was selected to design the National Native American Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. The memorial was completely funded by donations, and with its 2020 unveiling, the last spot on the National Mall was officially filled.

A descendent of White Antelope, a Cheyenne Peace Chief from the 1800s, was present for Cordry’s speech. Carson Antelope filled in some blanks, giving background on the sacred arrows.

In a novel venture for a historian, Cordry has created a Facebook page called “Children of White Thunder” to share high resolution documents and images from his book. He plans to continue to update these reference materials and share any new findings through this page.

Tesoro’s historic lecture season runs from October until May, and showcases scholars, historians and authors that focus on 19th century American Western history. Updates on the 2022-2023 series will be released in the summer of 2022, likely in August.