AWONINAHKU (Lean Bear)
c. 1813-1864
Lean Bear was the most influential leader of a band of Cheyenne camped near Ash Creek, Nebraska Territory, in 1864, who were slaughtered without provocation by Colorado militia under the command of Lieutnant George Eayre. Eayre's troops were marching from Denver to Fort Larned with orders to kill Indians on sight.
As the troops approached, Lean Bear and several other Cheyennes emerged from the village to greet them. Noting that they were positioned for battle and wishing to give a sign of his peaceful intentions, Lean Bear approached Eayre alone to show him the peace medal he had been given on a visit to Washington, D.C., two years earlier. Eayre ordered his men to fire at Lean Bear, who was blown off his pony. As he writhed in pain on the ground, soldiers shot him several times.
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Web page 7-13-2006