We have been travelling through a cloud. The sky has been dark

"We have been travelling through a cloud. The sky has been dark ever since the war began." These words, spoken by Black Kettle, a chief of the Cheyenne people, capture the immense burden of suffering and despair that war brings to those caught in its path. Black Kettle, speaking from the heart of a people displaced and ravaged by the brutality of war, paints a somber picture of the emotional and spiritual toll that conflict takes on the human soul. His words speak not just of the violence of the battlefield but of the dark cloud that hangs over the heart of the victim, the innocent, and the dispossessed—a cloud that, once it gathers, can obscure the light of hope and peace.

The story of the Cheyenne during the Indian Wars is a tragic one, a tale of forced relocation, broken treaties, and massacres. The war Black Kettle spoke of was not one of glory, but one of unrelenting suffering and loss. The United States Army and the settlers who followed them saw the indigenous peoples as obstacles in their pursuit of expansion and wealth, leading to violent confrontations. Black Kettle’s people, like so many others, were caught in the storm of manifest destiny, where the land they had once called home was ripped from their hands and their way of life destroyed. For them, war was not a fight for honor or independence but a slow, devastating destruction of everything they had held dear.

One cannot help but think of the infamous Sand Creek Massacre in 1864, when Colorado militia attacked a peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho encampment, killing over 150 people, mostly women and children. Black Kettle, who had sought peace with the United States, flew a white flag as a symbol of surrender and safety, yet his people were slaughtered without mercy. After the massacre, as he surveyed the destruction of his village and the bodies of his people, he spoke of the endless cloud of grief and despair that now hung over their lives. His people had not only lost their loved ones, but they had lost the very spirit of hope that sustains a nation. The sky was dark, not because of clouds in the sky, but because of the shadow that war had cast over their very souls.

In the broader sweep of history, Black Kettle's words echo the suffering of many peoples torn apart by war. From the Romans who waged countless campaigns of conquest to the soldiers who marched into the trenches of World War I, war has cast a long shadow on the hearts of those who experience it. War is not just the clash of weapons, but the breaking of spirits. The innocent, the powerless, the helpless, often suffer more than those who wield the sword. And even for those who emerge from the bloodshed alive, the scars of war remain, haunting them in ways words cannot fully express. The world is never the same after the clouds of war pass. The sky may clear, but the wounds left behind remain in the hearts of the people.

But in Black Kettle’s words, there is also a deeper lesson for us all: the dark sky of war, once it takes hold, can seem endless. Yet, it is within the power of each generation to choose whether it will perpetuate this cycle of violence or strive for something greater. Just as Black Kettle sought peace even as his people were driven from their lands, we too must seek understanding, compassion, and reconciliation in times of conflict. The darkness of war can only be dispelled by the light of wisdom and peace. The clouds may gather, but the sky can still clear—if we choose to make peace, to choose healing, to choose unity over division.

In your own life, there will be moments when the clouds of conflict will seem to gather, when the struggles of the world feel overwhelming and unending. But remember, true strength does not come from the ability to fight; it comes from the ability to stand in the midst of turmoil and choose peace. It comes from the courage to face the darkness and, with the light of compassion and reason, find a way through. The path of war may seem easy, the path of peace hard, but it is in the difficult journey that true humanity is found. Seek always to be the light in the darkness, for only by doing so can we lift the clouds of war and bring about the dawn of a better world.

Let Black Kettle’s words serve as both a warning and a guide. His people, ravaged by war, understood the true cost of violence. And while the sky may have been dark for them, they still carried within them the hope of peace. It is our task to learn from their suffering, to stand in the light of wisdom, and to reject the easy path of conflict. In this way, we honor the memory of those who have suffered and ensure that their story is one of hope rather than eternal despair.