Northern Cheyenne youth trace 400-mile run of their ancestors

Dozens of youth from the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana are taking part in the 12th annual Fort Robinson Outbreak Spiritual Run.

The youth are re-tracing the journey their ancestors made in January 1879, when about 130 people -- primarily elders, women, and children -- escaped Fort Robinson in Nebraska in an attempt to return to their homeland in Montana. Most didn't make it back.

“They just feel so empowered because they had just finished running 400 miles,” organizer Lynette Two Bulls told The Rapid City Journal. “We challenge them in all areas.”

The run began on Sunday in Nebraska. It concludes Friday on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana.

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Tribal youths on spiritual trek honor ancestors (The Rapid City Journal 1/10)

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