Treaty of Medicine Lodge - Definition and Overview

Signing of the Medicine Lodge Treaty

The Medicine Lodge Treaty was a treaty that the United States of America signed with the Kiowa, Comanche, Kiowa-Apache, Cheyenne, and Arapaho at Medicine Lodge, Kansas in 1867.

What is known as the Medicine Lodge Treaty actually consisted of three separate treaties. The first was signed October 21, 1867 by the Kiowa and Comanche tribes. The second, with the Kiowa-Apache, was signed the same day, while the Cheyenne and Arapaho signed the third on October 28.

The United States federal government during this time repeatedly reduced the size of Indian reservations. The Medicine Lodge Treaty assigned reservations with the aforementioned tribes, bringing them in close contact with the Sioux, Shoshones, Bannocks, and Navajos, setting the scene for more conflict for dwindling resources.