Rena Flying Coyote

The significance of Rena Flying Coyote to Rena Flying Coyote Collective, is strength and resilience. After the conquest, the Cheyenne were put on a reservation, as it was known then. The surviving Cheyenne and the first generation born on the reservation faced challenges that can barely be imagined. One of the most difficult challenges was the destruction of families. Without the strength of these Cheyenne, including Rena, and the resilience of those of us who have come after, the Cheyenne might not exist as a tribe. 

Rena Flying Coyote Collective is an example of the strength that Rena inspired in her sons, and motivates her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and generations to come.

It is also clear that the individual efforts of "survivance" take on many different expressions. One expression was pointed out by Rena in her response to the "Carlisle Record of Graduates and Returned Students." In it, Rena states that the success of the farm in Oklahoma, established together with her husband, Lightfoot West, "gets praise on every side, and we are said to have the best furnished house at Darlington." 

Rena wanted more than “survival” and, instead, sought the promise of “survivance” and thriving. She was willing to learn, grow, and adapt to make a better life for herself, her husband, her boys, and for her descendants to come. Rena modeled many values significant for her family, and for Rena Flying Coyote Collective.

Thriving is a valid goal for all of us. Rena demonstrated that efforts to live full lives can be enhanced by learning and growth, through education, anchored by an ability to adapt in the face of immense challenges. Rena Flying Coyote Collective is an example of the strength that Rena inspired in her sons, and motivates her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and generations to come.

Rena Flying Coyote’s Cheyenne name is Loeh Hoeh Vat, or Standing Out Woman. It is in this spirit that Rena Flying Coyote Collective will bring the voices of Native Peoples to the forefront.