Native America Calling

Wednesday, March 8, 2023 – Colorado museum recalls the Sand Creek Massacre

How the Sand Creek Massacre is remembered has changed over the years. The original narrative described the attack as a battle victory for the U.S. Army led by Col. John Chivington. But a more accurate and sinister account soon emerged that described a deplorable attack on mostly women, children, and elders from the Cheyenne and Arapahoe tribes. We learn how organizers of the new exhibit “The Sand Creek Massacre: The Betrayal that Changed Cheyenne and Arapaho People Forever” at the History Colorado Center worked with tribal representatives to tell an accurate and sensitive portrayal of the tragic event in 1864 with Chester Whiteman (Southern Cheyenne), Cheyenne coordinator of the Culture Program of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes; Fred Mosqueda (Cheyenne and Arapaho), Arapaho Language and Culture Program Coordinator for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma; and Sam Bock, lead exhibit developer for the Sand Creek Massacre exhibition and historian for History Colorado.