The anniversary of the Sand Creek massacre is Monday, November 29th, 2022.
More than 100 women, children and elders died on November 29, 1864.
The soldiers were ordered to attack a village along the Sand Creek River.
The United States had been involved in a dispute with several American Indian tribes. The Treaty of Fort Laramie gave the American Indians a lot of territory, but the gold rush of 1858 persuaded the U.S. to change the terms. The Treaty of Fort Wise was signed in the 19th century.
Much of the land given to the Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho by the earlier treaty was taken away by the new treaty.
Not all of the tribes were happy with the decision to sign the treaty. The group of Indians known as the Dog Soldiers were against having white settlers on their land.
The Sand Creek massacre affected the traditional knowledge, language, and ceremonies of the Arapaho. There were 13 chiefs who were killed. These people were connected to their culture and way of life. There weren't many people left to pass down traditions and language.
It was a dark chapter in the history of the United States. The Bear River massacre and other tragedies are often left out of the recollection and teaching of the United States.
It is important for the people of the United States to be aware of the terrible things that happened to Indigenous people. Every year on the anniversary of the event, the people from the Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes come together.
In October of this year, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced that the United States purchased nearly 3,500 acres of prairie land to expand the Sand Creek massacre national historic site. They were joined by leaders from the Northern Arapaho Tribe.
Haaland said that they would never forget the hundreds of lives that were brutally taken here. It is my duty to make sure that the Sand Creek massacre is told.
The right to kill American Indians was revoked by an Executive Order signed by the governor of Colorado. The two proclamations that set the stage for the Sand Creek massacre wereshameful.
The Sand Creek massacre national historic site is the place where their spirits reside, where we come to learn, to remember, to heal, and to make sure such atrocities never happen again.
Secretary Haaland will visit the Sand Creek Massacre site in October 2022.
The founder, publisher and editor of Native News Online isLevi Rickert. The Native American Journalists Association gave Rickert an award for his column. He is a member of the multicultural media correspondents association. Levi can be reached at nativenewsonline.net.
Levi is reachable at nativenewsonline.net.
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