The History Colorado Center in Denver has just opened a new exhibition- “The Sand Creek Massacre: The Betrayal that Changed Cheyenne and Arapaho People Forever.” In this feature produced by KGNU contributor January Jones, you’ll hear directly from Cheyenne and Arapaho tribal members who spoke during the public commemoration for the exhibit on November 19, 2022. The remarks are abbreviated.
The exhibition recounts the deadliest day in Colorado history -November 29,1864- when US Troops attacked a peaceful village of Cheyenne and Arapaho who were promised military protection. More than 230 women, children and elders were murdered. After the massacre, the Cheyenne and Arapaho People were forced to leave Colorado. Read the transcript here.
Order of Speakers:
Diane DiPrince, Executive Director, History Colorado
William Walksalong, Executive Administrator, Northern Cheyenne Tribe
Lee Spoonhunter, Co-Chairman Northern Arapaho Tribe
Reggie Wassana, Governor, Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma
Dr. Richard Little Bear, Northern Cheyenne Tribe
Gail Ridgely, Director of the Northern Arapaho Sand Creek Resource Office
Listen here
'Sand Creek Massacre' Depicted on an Elk Hide by the Late Eugene Ridgley, Sr., Colorado History Center
Oral history of the hide from National Museum of the American Indian