This ‘Longmire’ Episode Touches on a Brutal Part of Real History

While most episodes of Longmire stick to purely fictitious mysteries at heart, sometimes the acclaimed neo-Western would venture into more tender topics that have their roots deep in American history. Based on the series of novels by Craig Johnson, the show was never afraid to stray away from the original books in favor of more topical material, and such was the case with Season 3’s “Miss Cheyenne.” This episode not only highlights the beauties of Cheyenne culture but also notes the dark Native American history hiding just beneath the surface.

Longmire

Walt Longmire is the dedicated and unflappable sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming. Widowed only a year, he is a man in psychic repair but buries his pain behind his brave face, unassuming grin and dry wit.

Release Date

June 3, 2012

Creator

Hunt Baldwin, John Coveny

Seasons

6

Studio

A&E

Production Company

Two Boomerang, The Shephard/Robin Company, Warner Horizon Television

What Happens in the ‘Longmire’ Episode “Miss Cheyenne”?

Following Henry Standing Bear’s (Lou Diamond Phillips) incarceration at the end of the second season, Sheriff Walt Longmire (Robert Taylor) is called to fill in for his best friend as a judge for the Miss Cheyenne pageant being held on the Rez. One of the girls competing is Lilly Stillwater (played by Prey star Amber Midthunder), whom Walt and Henry had helped back in the “Pilot,” but this time around, another girl––Faye Viviana‘s Michaela Grey Wolf––becomes the focus of an investigation after her doctor, Ben Mallory (Aaron Lade), is suddenly murdered. It turns out that Mallory discovered that Michaela is pregnant, something that eventually gets her kicked out of the Miss Cheyenne contest after it becomes public knowledge, which puts Michaela’s father, Dale (Gregory Cruz) as the prime suspect. At least for a while.

But things are never that simple in an episode of Longmire. When you think you’ve got it all figured out, the narrative switches entirely. Hearing the news about his son, Dr. Oren Mallory (John Lawlor) arrives in town with his wife and Ben’s stepmother, Sylvia (played by Walker‘s Molly Hagan). It turns out, that this is Oren’s second child to be murdered in the span of only a few years, which leads Walt to believe that Ben’s death wasn’t some random killing. To make things more complicated, Oren’s extensive medical career made him a very wealthy man, and with the boys both out of the way, all of his assets would be transferred to Sylvia after his death. But with an airtight alibi, Sylvia represents a piece of the puzzle that doesn’t quite fit.

As Walt continues to investigate, his daughter Cady (Cassidy Freeman) works tirelessly to get Henry out of jail. The prosecution continues to fight back, and with character witnesses like Tribal Police Chief Matthias (Dark Winds‘ Zahn McClarnon), it seems like they’ve hit a dead end in securing Henry’s freedom. Eventually, with the help of the Cheyenne community, Cady succeeds in getting Henry out on bail after a powerful testimony from Lilly’s mother, May (Irene Bedard)––with bail set at $100,000. Though paying such a high figure seems helpless at first, Deputy Branch Connally (Bailey Chase) pays for Henry’s bail, and Walt vows to never let his friend go back to prison––but not before he solves the case.

“Miss Cheyenne” Has a Powerful Climax That Rivals Other ‘Longmire’ Adventures

Walt’s investigation leads him to the discovery that Oren worked on various Indian Reservations across the country in the 1970s, and even sterilized many women who thought they were getting an appendectomy and not a hysterectomy. One such woman is Miss Cheyenne contest judge Neena Wapasha (Kimberly Guerrero), who was sterilized by Oren back when she was a young woman in Oklahoma. Unable to have children, Neena was driven to revenge by taking Oren’s sons from him––and even then, she didn’t find peace. As Walt confronts Neena about her actions, she stabs herself, hoping to avoid the consequences as well as escape the pain, but Walt gets to her before serious damage can be done.

“You tell them,” Neena says to Walt concerning her story, willing to let herself die for the message. “It will mean more coming from you,” the sheriff replies before carrying her to help. While “Miss Cheyenne” doesn’t end there––Walt still has to pick Henry up from prison––this is effectively the conclusion of such a powerful episode. Written by Sarah Nichole Jones, this hour of Longmire leaves us with a bad taste in our mouths, but not because it’s a bad episode. The revelation of why Neena kills two innocent men, laying the sins of the father back down on his sons, is a horrid one, almost as horrid as what Oren Mallory did to her (and other women like her) back in the ’70s. But, as usual, this show is willing to go places most aren’t, and that’s exactly why it works.

As always, Walt faithfully balances his covenant with the law and his care for the folks of Absaroka County masterfully here. He listens carefully to Neena’s tale and sympathizes with what was done to her. He even goes so far as to condemn Dr. Mallory for his vile practice. But, in all of it, he still keeps justice for the innocent lives lost. There have been times when Walt has allowed things to slide, knowing full well that it’s what’s best for those involved (see Season 3’s “Harvest,” which was penned by future Damnation creator Tony Tost), but his discretion never gets in the way of justice, and it doesn’t here either. Compared to some of the other big revelations on the show, this case sticks with you long after watching and calls back to a very real history that Native peoples still suffer from today.

The Sterilization of Native Women Was a Major Issue in the 1960s and ’70s

If the idea that a doctor working on an American Indian Reservation would sterilize one of their patients without that patient’s knowledge shocks you, it shouldn’t. Back in the 1960s and ’70s, thousands of Native American women were sterilized. According to research done by Jane Lawrence, these “procedures [are] thought to have been performed on one out of every four Native American women at the time, against their knowledge or consent” (via JSTOR). Generally, it was Native women between the ages of 15 and 44 who were operated on by these doctors, though black and Latina women were also reportedly targeted at this time.

“Two girls had been sterilized at age fifteen before they had children,” noted Cheyenne woman Bertha Medicine Bull. “Both were having appendectomies when the doctors sterilized them without their knowledge or content.” These women were never able to have children of their own, and neither they nor their parents gave the doctors consent to operate in such a manner. In fact, many of these exact operations were done under pressure from the “professionals,” who used fear tactics to trick their patients into vulnerable positions. For years, this issue went unchecked and unnoticed until Dr. Connie Redbird Pinkerman-Uri helped spearhead a federal investigation into the inhumane practices of the Indian Health Service (via History Workshop).

This led to a forum in Geneva, Switzerland in 1977 where this practice was exposed as a modern form of medical genocide. Legislation was passed to prevent these activities, but the damage had already been done, and in some cases continued despite the legal repercussions. As TIME noted in 2019, the consequences of these doctors’ actions are still felt in Indian communities to this day. “It matters because it continues to affect Native maternal and infant health outcomes,” explained Brianna Theobald. “It matters because today Native American women continue a rich legacy of advocating for the health and well-being of their communities.” Longmire understood the weight of an issue such as this and was willing to speak out about it back in 2014 before these conversations were common knowledge outside of reservation communities. And it’s an issue that is worth remembering in efforts to avoid one day repeating it.

‘Longmire’ Was Never Afraid to Tackle Native American Issues

From the get-go, Longmire followed suit with Craig Johnson’s original Walt Longmire mystery novels and was never afraid to tackle hard topics and issues surrounding the treatment of American Indians. Characters like Jacob Nighthorse (A Martinez) and Matthias were created to better explore the reservation landscape, and episodes like Season 1’s “Dog Soldiers” directly address the real-life problems that Native people currently deal with. “Miss Cheyenne” is another great example of the way the show can use an impressive and shifting narrative to tell a larger story that extends from the television screen into the lives of those living today.

Following Longmire‘s “Miss Cheyenne,” even shows such as Yellowstone have spoken up about this same issue after Beth Dutton was unknowingly sterilized as a teenager due to being taken to a reservation clinic for an abortion. But what Yellowstone fails to utilize is its Native characters when telling these specific stories, something Longmire always excelled at. Going forward, the A&E-turned-Netflix drama continued to highlight Rez politics and dealt with the fallout of the Four Arrows casino that opened the following season––a casino Henry would eventually take over. Just as author Craig Johnson was careful when researching Cheyenne culture, so too were those involved in this series. In fact, Lou Diamond Phillips even received a blessing from the Cheyenne people when preparing for his role as Henry Standing Bear.

While Longmire has been off the air for a while now, fans are still hoping the sheriff will one day return. If he does, returning to the Northern Cheyenne Reservation would be a must. Episodes like this prove that not only is there an audience for these types of stories, but they can be told creatively in ways that reveal true history while still investigating an engaging mystery.

Longmire can be streamed on Netflix.

Watch on Netflix