Biography

Lean Bear was a leader of the Cheyenne tribe during the turbulent period of transition by Great Plains tribes to life on U.S. reservations from the 1850s through the 1870s. He was one of several Native American delegates from the Southern Plains who traveled to Washington, D.C. in March 1863 to visit President Abraham Lincoln and to air their grievances. Lean Bear was  murdered with no provocation by soldiers from the 1st Colorado Cavalry in May 1864. His death stirred up anger among Cheyenne in the months leading up to the Sand Creek Massacre.  He is referenced as one of the "Indian Chiefs" in a letter written by Joseph Camp Griffin Kennedy to Frances Miller Seward, dated March 26, 1863.