Dr. Richard LIttlebear, Norma Gourneau and Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell spoke at 150th Remembrance of Sand Creek Massacre. Photo courtesy of Norma Gourneau
Sand Creek Massacre remembered
By Clara Caufield
Native Sun News Correspondent LAME DEER, Mont. –– Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho tribal members spoke at the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), Washington, D.C. on Oct. 9, at an event titled “Sand Creek Massacre: 150th Year Remembrance and Film Debut.” Dr. Richard Littlebear, President, Chief Dull Knife College, Northern Cheyenne; Norma Gourneau, Superintendent Wind River Agency, descendant of Massacre survivor, Northern Cheyenne; Dr. Henrietta Mann, President Southern Cheyenne/Arapaho College and Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Northern Cheyenne were recommended by Tribal Advisory Groups said Karen Wilde, Muscokee/Pawnee and Tribal Liaison for the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, Eads, Colorado. Jointly sponsored by the National Park Service and the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, the event commemorated the Sand Creek Massacre that occurred on Nov. 29, 1864, a tragedy that has marked and haunted the historic consciousness of the Cheyenne and Arapaho people and the Nation ever since. “Afterwards 167 Cheyenne and Arapaho people (women, men, elders and children) lay dead. One witness told of a baby being cut out of his dying mother’s body and then being scalped,” said Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, reminding the audience about the brutality of the tragedy. On Nov, 7, 2000, the U.S. Congress authorized the establishment of the Sand Creek National Historic Site so the impacts of this pivotal episode in American history can be understood and never forgotten. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R, Colorado and then Chairman of the Senate Committee of Indian Affairs (the only Indian to ever hold that critical post) sponsored that legislation. “Legislation to establish the Sand Creek Massacre Memorial Site and the National Museum of American Indians were the two most important things I did in D.C.” Campbell told A Cheyenne Voice newspaper. “Maybe I was sent there to do that.” The purpose of the Symposium was summarized as follows: Now, 150 years later with the massacre site preserved in perpetuity and a healing process is beginning, it is essential to honor those killed at Sand Creek, pay respects to the descendants and assist in fulfilling Congress’s mandate that such an atrocity never happen again. The goal was to contribute to an understanding of the causes and consequences of the Massacre, the Cheyenne and Arapaho who carry the legacy of the Massacre with them today and the role of mobilization in the healing process. “For mainstream, white America, a historic iconic event was the Great Western Movement, enabled by the concept of Manifest Destiny. Settling the west unsettled, terrorized and killed many Cheyenne, especially in Sand Creek. The results should never be forgotten by us and mainstream America. ” Dr. Littlebear solemnly noted. Dr. Henrietta Mann, Southern Cheyenne/Arapaho spoke as part of a Panel titled “Causes and Consequences of the Sand Creek Massacre”, her presentation titled “The Tsistsistas and Hinonoei Road to Sand Creek”. Dr. Richard Littlebear was one of the panelists addressing The Generations Since: Multi-generational impacts in a speech titled “The Continuing Trauma of the Sand Creek Massacre: It’s Impacts, both Negative and Positive.” Norma Gourneau participated in a panel addressing Memorialization and Healing addressing “Sand Creek through my Great-Grandmother’s Memories” while Senator Campbell addressed “The Memorialization of Sand Creek” (Legislation leading to the establishment of the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site). Discussion focused on efforts to commemorate, educate and “assist in minimizing the chances of a similar incident in the future.” Panelists discussed the process of establishing the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, the Annual Cheyenne and Arapaho Spiritual Healing Run between the Massacre Site and Denver and the repatriation of victim’s remains to proper interment at the Massacre site. The event also showcased the film debut of “Sand Creek Massacre and the Civil War” produced by David Emich, Owner and Paul Feldman, Postmodern Films. “At first glance, the Sand Creek Massacre and the Civil War have nothing in common except that they happened simultaneously. Yet, in an era of Manifest Destiny, Western Expansion and the Gold Rush, these two chapters of American history are inexorably linked,” the production team explained. “First person accounts by eyewitnesses to the Massacre, along with perspectives by Sand Creek Massacre descendants, and historians create a vivid picture illustrating how these seemingly separate events are interwoven in horrible tragedy. Yet, glimmers of hope and healing endure. Postmodern expresses its heartfelt gratitude to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, historians and the National Park Service for the opportunity to collaborate on the film.” Karen Wilde, Tribal Liaison for the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park Service explained that the Symposium was in the planning and development stages for over two years. She specifically credits Alexa Roberts, Superintendent of the Site, tribal advisory groups and Kevin Gover, Director NMAI for actively supporting the event. Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs, BIA when the Legislation was enacted into law, Gover attended the White House Ceremony when President Clinton signed it into law, thus gaining a personal interest. The complete Symposium will soon be aired on the NPS website and is being edited for an YouTube presentation. (Clara Caufield can be reached at acheyennevoice@gmail.com) Copyright permission Native Sun News
Join the Conversation
