By Alden Miller

The Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site will once again host a portion of the Cheyenne Spiritual Healing Run/Walk. This year’s event, the eleventh annual Run, will begin at the Sand Creek Massacre site between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, November 26.

Runners will gather at the historic site for a ceremony and traditional blessing; then depart for Eads by mid-morning. Upon their arrival at the Eads High School, runners, their families, supporters, and the public will gather for a community dinner.

Later in the day, the run will leave Eads and head northwest towards Limon, and will conclude in Denver on Saturday, November 28.

Participants for this year’s run are expected from the reservation communities of Busby, Birney, and Ashland, Montana, and tribal communities in Oklahoma. LeForce “Lee” Lone Bear, a fourth-generation descendant of Chief White Antelope, as well as other ceremonial leaders will be on hand to conduct the run.

The annual Spiritual Healing Run is a unique combination of tribal lore, education, and spiritual meaning intended to commemorate the enduring legacy of Sand Creek. Native American Indian youth, elders, and the community have helped make the healing run an annual tradition of cooperation and caring.