A Story of Connection to the Sand Creek Massacre and The Return of Sacred Tribal Artifacts
In remembrance of The Sand Creek Massacre, Sue Woodward of Michelson United Methodist Church, Grayling, Michigan, shares her family's association with the Massacre and their journey towards reconciliation, healing, repentance and peace.
A Journey of Healing and Peace
It is my privilege to recount this story: one of horror, sorrow, forgiveness and redemption, bringing peace to our family.
Included in family heirlooms bequeathed to me were two diaries belonging to my great-great grandfather, Hiram Ford. In 1860 he left his New York family to seek a fortune in gold, landing in Golden City, Colorado.
A Mason, Ford may have met Col. John Chivington, a charter member of the Denver Masonic Lodge and a Methodist minister. Chivington led the regiment responsible for the 1864 massacre at Sand Creek, killing 230 Indigenous women, children and elders.
As an adult I read Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. The segment about the Sand Creek Massacre brought a realization that some of my ancestor’s historical collection had no business belonging to me. They originated in the white man’s westward expansion and were “captured” as trophies of “war.” Ford was either given or purchased these artifacts in the months following the massacre. Nothing indicates he was party to that atrocity, but that doesn’t absolve him or our family from the wrong perpetrated on descendants who are still rightfully grieving. My mission: to find a way to return them.
In 2017 I contacted Tribal Liaison Karen Wilde, who offered to initiate repatriation protocols of a ladle, an arrow, a remnant of beaded buffalo hide (per family lore: a “princess bonnet”) and sadly, human remains. A paper attached to the ladle read “Indian Bonnet and soup dipper were captured at the Battle of Sand Creek Colorado Nov 1864. The battle was between the Whites and Indians. 500 Indians killed.“
There was no battle. This was a brutal massacre of women, children and elders, whose leaders were seeking peace.
My spouse and I embarked on a pilgrimage, visiting places my ancestor had been. Wilde had notified me that a conference in Denver with tribal leaders and descendants was scheduled for October. As perhaps divinely planned, we planned to be near Denver at the time; repatriation could be made directly to surviving tribe members.
October 27, 2017 we were introduced to Otto Braided Hair (Northern Cheyenne) and Joe Big Medicine (Southern Cheyenne) in a History Colorado conference room (Denver). A gloved museum representative handled each artifact gently as she unwrapped it, since tribal members were not to touch such sacred items. Joe Big Medicine asked me to tell the story of my family. I tearfully explained our horror at realizing the stories we’d always heard were not true, and my brother, Ross Chapman, and our children were in solid agreement that we needed to return the items to their rightful place.
A ceremony commenced. Otto and Joe prepared themselves with powder, and incense burned. Joe wafted the smoke over each draped object with an eagle feather, blessing them. He asked me to come near, and I was blessed in the same manner - my body, my heart and finally my lips. My spouse, Ray, was similarly blessed. I can still feel the touch of the eagle feather on my face.
Otto offered a lengthy prayer in Cheyenne for the victims of the massacres and those in particular represented before them. As we concluded, both Otto and Joe expressed gratitude to our family for our commitment to return the items. They would be escorted to a storage facility near Sand Creek until the human remains could be buried and decisions made on the dispensation of the other items.
One note: The “Indian Princess Bonnet” was a cradle board cover - a fact that devastated me. As Otto said, “We have no princesses in our tribes.”
We left the room. Other tribal members viewed the returned artifacts. They filed out, stopping to thank us; we expressed our sorrow. All were gracious, showing us nothing but love.
Afterward we met with tribal leaders, representatives, and other officials. I was asked to retell my family story. The grace of God showed through these people and brought peace. This was truly a life moment.
For More Information and Resources:
The Sand Creek Massacre Exhibit from History Colorado will be at the United Methodist Building until December 1, 2025. For more information please visit HERE.
If you or your family are in possession of sacred human remains and sacred objects from Sand Creek and would like to return it back to the land and people, you can start the repatriation process by contacting the Tribal Consultation Office at Bent’s Old Fort at hpg_tribal_consultations@nps.gov.
