Who were the Cheyenne's enemies?

Answer 1

Just like the neighbouring Arapaho, the two main Cheyenne divisions (northern and southern) varied from being at war with other tribes and being on peaceful terms with them.

Sometimes the Cheyenne were at war with the Lakota Sioux and Arapaho, but generally they were on friendly terms with them. They also carried out occasional raids against the Comanche and Kiowa in the south, or against the more distant Crows, Pawnees, Utes and even Blackfoot and Plains Ojibwe (Chippewas).

The main purpose of these raids was to steal horses, but small scale battles were sometimes fought and scalps taken; they also (crucially) provided opportunities for Cheyenne warriors to count coup and obtain war honours.

Since all Plains tribes were essentially warrior-based societies, opportunities such as this were essential.