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JJDESIGNS NEWS UPDATE 30th MARCH 2026
THUNDER ON THE PLAINS
THE FIGHT WHEN ROMAN NOSE WAS KILLED, 17-19th SEPTEMBER 1868
CHEYENNE WARRIOR, WOQINI
Roman Nose (c, 1823 – September 17th, 1868) also known as Hook Nose, in Cheyenne Vohkoxenehe, also spelled as Woqini and Woquini. He was a member of the Northern Cheyenne, and is considered to be one of, if not the greatest and most influential warriors during the Plains Indian War of the 1860’s.
Born during the prosperous days of the fur trade in the 1820’s he was called Moseskanestsenoonahe as a youth, and later took the name Wokini, which the Euro-Americans rendered as Roman Nose.
Considered invincible in combat, this fierce warrior distinguished himself in battle to such a degree that the US military mistook him for the Chief of the entire Cheyenne nation.
Contrary to popular myth, Woqini was never a chief, nor a leader of any of the six Cheyenne military societies.
Physically imposing in stature, there are several historical references to Woqini’s flamboyant, intimidating personality and battle prowess.
Isaac Coates, General Winfield S. Hancock’s surgeon wrote in his journal
"of all the chiefs, he is one of the finest specimens, physically, of his race. He is quite six feet in height, finely formed with a large body and muscular limbs. His appearance, was decidedly military, and on this occasion, particularly so, since he wore the uniform of a General in the Army. A seven-shooting Spencer carbine hung at the side of his saddle, four large Navy revolvers stuck in his belt, and a bow, already strung with arrows, were grasped in his left hand. Thus armed and mounted on a fine horse, he was a good representative of the God of War, and his manner showed plainly that he did not care whether we talked or fought..."
Woqini’s battle tactics were described,
“His bravery came naturally and spotless; his influence was enormous as he was the acknowledged leader in war..”
A common battle tactic of his was to ride up and down the line of army troops within rifle range, getting the enemy to discharge their weapons and waste their ammunition.
He was known to be very spiritual, and spent endless hours in preparing his medicine, his mind and spirit. It is known that Woqini would spend days on quests to cleanse his spirit and gain strength through his medicine. He also felt he and his warriors were protected by his famous War bonnet that was made and given to him by White Bull.
It was believed that it was because of his war bonnet and the medicine he practiced to be the reason why he was such a successful warrior.
For these rituals to be successful there were certain rules he had to obey. Some of these rules included never shaking hands with anyone, and never eating food that had been prepared or served using metal.
Several days prior to his final battle, Woqini visited the nearby Sioux camp, where he participated in a feast. During the feast he ate some fry bread, where the woman who cooked the bread used an iron fork to remove it from the cooking pan, which violated one of the conditions of his medicine.
He did not have the time to perform the necessary cleansing ceremony to restore his medicine. Because of this, he did not participate in the fighting as he normally would, preferring to watch the battle from afar. During the battle, he was chastised by an elderly warrior named White Contrary for his lack of participation, and thus decided to enter the battle after all, knowing that he would die.
After putting on his war clothes and bonnet, he led an assault on the island, where he was shot at close range, and died later that afternoon near sunset.
The demise of Woqini had devastating effects on the Cheyenne’s efforts to defend their lands, which virtually ended with the defeat of Tall Bull and the Dog Soldiers at the Battle of Summit Springs, near Sterling, Colorado in July 1869.
This battle known in the west as the Battle of Beecher’s Island or the Battle of Arikaree River, was called by the Cheyenne “The Fight where Roman Nose was Killed”.
THE FIRST OF THE CHEYENNE WARRIORS WILL BE AVAILABLE FROM MAY 2026.
Best wishes,
john jenkins
THUNDER ON THE PLAINS
THE FIGHT WHEN ROMAN NOSE WAS KILLED, 17-19th SEPTEMBER 1868
CHEYENNE WARRIOR, WOQINI
Roman Nose (c, 1823 – September 17th, 1868) also known as Hook Nose, in Cheyenne Vohkoxenehe, also spelled as Woqini and Woquini. He was a member of the Northern Cheyenne, and is considered to be one of, if not the greatest and most influential warriors during the Plains Indian War of the 1860’s.
Born during the prosperous days of the fur trade in the 1820’s he was called Moseskanestsenoonahe as a youth, and later took the name Wokini, which the Euro-Americans rendered as Roman Nose.
Considered invincible in combat, this fierce warrior distinguished himself in battle to such a degree that the US military mistook him for the Chief of the entire Cheyenne nation.
Contrary to popular myth, Woqini was never a chief, nor a leader of any of the six Cheyenne military societies.
Physically imposing in stature, there are several historical references to Woqini’s flamboyant, intimidating personality and battle prowess.
Isaac Coates, General Winfield S. Hancock’s surgeon wrote in his journal
"of all the chiefs, he is one of the finest specimens, physically, of his race. He is quite six feet in height, finely formed with a large body and muscular limbs. His appearance, was decidedly military, and on this occasion, particularly so, since he wore the uniform of a General in the Army. A seven-shooting Spencer carbine hung at the side of his saddle, four large Navy revolvers stuck in his belt, and a bow, already strung with arrows, were grasped in his left hand. Thus armed and mounted on a fine horse, he was a good representative of the God of War, and his manner showed plainly that he did not care whether we talked or fought..."
Woqini’s battle tactics were described,
“His bravery came naturally and spotless; his influence was enormous as he was the acknowledged leader in war..”
A common battle tactic of his was to ride up and down the line of army troops within rifle range, getting the enemy to discharge their weapons and waste their ammunition.
He was known to be very spiritual, and spent endless hours in preparing his medicine, his mind and spirit. It is known that Woqini would spend days on quests to cleanse his spirit and gain strength through his medicine. He also felt he and his warriors were protected by his famous War bonnet that was made and given to him by White Bull.
It was believed that it was because of his war bonnet and the medicine he practiced to be the reason why he was such a successful warrior.
For these rituals to be successful there were certain rules he had to obey. Some of these rules included never shaking hands with anyone, and never eating food that had been prepared or served using metal.
Several days prior to his final battle, Woqini visited the nearby Sioux camp, where he participated in a feast. During the feast he ate some fry bread, where the woman who cooked the bread used an iron fork to remove it from the cooking pan, which violated one of the conditions of his medicine.
He did not have the time to perform the necessary cleansing ceremony to restore his medicine. Because of this, he did not participate in the fighting as he normally would, preferring to watch the battle from afar. During the battle, he was chastised by an elderly warrior named White Contrary for his lack of participation, and thus decided to enter the battle after all, knowing that he would die.
After putting on his war clothes and bonnet, he led an assault on the island, where he was shot at close range, and died later that afternoon near sunset.
The demise of Woqini had devastating effects on the Cheyenne’s efforts to defend their lands, which virtually ended with the defeat of Tall Bull and the Dog Soldiers at the Battle of Summit Springs, near Sterling, Colorado in July 1869.
This battle known in the west as the Battle of Beecher’s Island or the Battle of Arikaree River, was called by the Cheyenne “The Fight where Roman Nose was Killed”.
THE FIRST OF THE CHEYENNE WARRIORS WILL BE AVAILABLE FROM MAY 2026.
Best wishes,
john jenkins
