The Council of Forty-four is one of the two central institutions of traditional Cheyenne Native American tribal governance, the other being the military societies such as the Dog Soldiers.
The unified tribe then divided themselves into ten bands:Council chiefs are generally older men who command wide respect.
[8] The effect of this on Cheyenne society was to exacerbate the social and political rift between the traditional council chiefs and their followers on the one hand and the Dog Soldiers on the other.
[10] The moral authority of traditional Council chiefs to moderate the behavior of the tribe's young men and to treat with whites was severely hampered by these events as well as the ascendancy of the Dog Soldiers' militant policies.
The Cheyenne Tribe maintains the Council of Forty-Four today, and some of current Peace Chiefs that are active in the Native American community include Gordon Yellowman, Sr.; Harvey Pratt; W. Richard West Jr.;[11] and Lawrence Hart.