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Sand Creek Massacre NPS News Release November 30, 2004
Craig Moore Spiritual Healing Run Held at site of 1864 Sand Creek Massacre
Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, in conjunction with the Northern Cheyenne Sand Creek Office and the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana, hosted a portion of the sixth annual Northern Cheyenne Spiritual Healing Run on November 25th, 2004. The event, held at the site of the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre, was attended by runners and their families, local citizens, National Park staff, and other on-lookers. This year’s run “Liberation of Our Ancestors” was coordinated by Mr. Charles Bear Comes Out of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe. Activities at the site commenced around noon, with Dana Brady and Joey Littlebird hoisting a replica 33 star American flag and a white flag to symbolize the original garrison flag and white flag raised by Cheyenne Chief Black Kettle before the attack at Sand Creek. A brief history of the massacre and an update of ongoing efforts to establish the site and repatriate the remains of massacre victims from museums were provided by Mr. Steve Brady, President of the Northern Cheyenne Band Sand Creek Descendants. Later, in honor of massacre victims a Cheyenne memorial song was performed. This was the same song that Cheyenne Chief White Antelope was singing when he was shot at and killed during the Sand Creek Massacre. Following Mr. Bear Comes Out, the runners, mainly teenagers and young men and women, headed down dirt roads to Eads, Colorado where they were provided a feast at the Eads High School cafeteria. The feast was free and open to the public, and provided a good setting for the runners as they left later that day for Limon and Denver. The run and feast were enjoyed by nearly 125 people. Among this year’s guests was Mrs. Genevieve Bear Quiver. Mrs. Bear Quiver, whose great grandmother Ghost Woman survived the Sand Creek Massacre, is a descendant of Chief Black Kettle. Funding for the meal was provided in part by a donation from Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. Special thanks also go to the Kiowa County Economic Development Foundation, Eads High School, and the family of Betty Cahill for making the meal possible. The Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site was authorized on November 7, 2000. The authorization includes over 12,000 acres in Kiowa County, Colorado. The “heart” of the site, some 7,500 acres, is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The National Park Service currently manages 920 acres. Pending additional legislation, the Secretary of the Interior will be able to formally establish the National Historic Site. Until then, it remains closed to the public. For additional information about the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/sand or call (719) 383-5010, extension 20 or (719) 438-5916. Mr. Otto Braided Hair, Northern Cheyenne Sand Creek Office can be reached at (406) 477-8026 or P.O. Box 1350, Lame Deer, MT., 59043; email: sandcreek@rangeweb.net. Information is also available at www.sandcreek.org.
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