On the morning of Nov. 29, 1864, a peaceful encampment of Cheyenne and Arapaho people in what is now southeastern Colorado was attacked by the U.S. Cavalry. Over 200 were killed — mostly women, children, elders and tribal leaders, violating treaty negotiations and shattering trust between the Tribes and the U.S. government.
Though Congress and the U.S. Army recognized the atrocity as a massacre in 1865, Colorado glorified it as a “battle,” and over time, the truth was suppressed. Yet the Cheyenne and the Arapaho never forgot. The trauma of that day has echoed through generations, leaving a legacy of pain, and resilience.
Today, we are called to remember and to heal.
The Sand Creek Massacre Memorial Committee, or SCMMC, led by Cheyenne and Arapaho descendants of the massacre, was formed to create a monument on the Colorado State Capitol grounds. This memorial will honor the lives lost and celebrate the enduring strength of the Cheyenne and Arapaho peoples.
In 2020, the Capitol Building Advisory Committee proposed placing the memorial on the Capitol’s west plaza, where a Civil War monument once stood before being toppled by social justice protestors. In 2024, the SCMMC commissioned sculptor Gerald Anthony Shippen to collaborate with tribal cultural consultants and descendants to create a large-scale bronze sculpture titled “Peace Keepers.” The piece features a woman holding a baby, flanked by Cheyenne Chief Black Kettle and Arapaho Chief Left Hand, standing before a tipi frame.
This year, the Colorado legislature and Gov. Jared Polis unanimously endorsed the monument. It will be dedicated and installed by November 29, 2026, coinciding with the 150th anniversary of Colorado’s statehood and signaling a commitment to truth and reconciliation.
The title “Peace Keepers” is a sacred tribute to the Cheyenne chiefs who held fast to peace, even in the face of betrayal and death. Despite broken promises by the U.S. government, they honored their word until their final breath.
Among those leaders were our ancestors. We carry their memory and the intergenerational trauma born of that day. But we also carry their strength, the prayers they made and their vision for peace.
“Peace Keepers” is more than a sculpture. It is a place of truth-telling, remembrance and healing. It invites reflection on the horrors of Sand Creek and honors the courage and humanity of those who perished and those who survived. It speaks to all of us, calling for recognition, understanding and reconciliation.
Each year, young runners from the Northern Cheyenne, the Northern Arapaho, and Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, along with many allies, retrace the path from the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site to the Colorado Capitol. This annual Sand Creek Massacre Spiritual Healing Run is a living act of remembrance. It honors those who ran for their lives in 1864 and affirms that we are still here. Our youth carry the responsibility to remember and to heal.
In a time when our nation again grapples with division, identity, and fear, we are reminded of the conditions that led to Sand Creek. Let us not repeat history. Instead, we must choose a different path — a path of peace.
Healing does not mean forgetting or absolving. It is a powerful and deliberate choice to preserve our humanity. Those Cheyenne chiefs at Sand Creek chose peace, even when it cost them their lives. Let us honor them by doing the same — by listening, learning and refusing to let fear and hatred divide us.
We, the descendants, are here because the prayers spoken in those moments of loss were powerful. We live because our ancestors believed we should carry forward. And so we do.
But we cannot complete this memorial alone.
We are raising funds to finish “Peace Keepers,” ensuring it stands as a permanent reminder of what happened at Sand Creek and as a space for truth, education and healing. Your support is more than an investment in bronze and stone — it is a commitment to honoring life, remembering history and building a more peaceful future.
We invite you to stand with us, for those ancestors who were lost, and for those who live on.
Chris Tall Bear, of Norman, Oklahoma, is a member of the traditional Chiefs of the Cheyenne Council of 44, a Sand Creek Massacre direct descendant, and is a tribally appointed Sand Creek Massacre Memorial Committee member representing the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma.
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