Denver – A new monument called “The Peacekeepers” is set to join the Colorado Capitol grounds, honoring the victims of the Sand Creek Massacre. The first piece, a bronze likeness of Cheyenne chief Black Kettle, was unveiled at the History Colorado Center on Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Tribally led project
The memorial is the result of decades of effort by the Northern Cheyenne, Northern Arapaho, Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes. History Colorado’s president and CEO Dawn DiPrince stressed that the work is “tribally led,” with the museum acting only as a supportive partner.
Unlike traditional statues that sit on high pedestals, Black Kettle’s figure stands close to the ground. “We’re expected to look up at statues,” DiPrince said. “This monument will not be like that. It will be closer to the ground, which humanizes the subject.”
Remembering Sand Creek
On November 29, 1864, U.S. soldiers and Colorado militia killed more than 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho men, women, children and elders in an unprovoked surprise attack. Chief Black Kettle and his wife, Medicine Woman Later, survived, though she was badly injured.
The memorial will eventually include two additional figures: Southern Arapaho chief Left Hand, who was mortally wounded at Sand Creek, and Medicine Woman Later holding a baby, symbolizing the women and children who perished. Those statues are slated for completion in 2027.
Healing and education
Phillip Gover, History Colorado’s senior director of tribal and Indigenous engagement, noted that every corner of the United States holds Native American history, and that honoring Indigenous Peoples’ Day and the Sand Creek Massacre reflects a long‑overdue recognition of that legacy.
DiPrince said the monument is not just about Cheyenne and Arapaho history; it is Colorado and American history. “We all own this and it is our job to carry it forward together,” she said, emphasizing the memorial’s role in collective healing for descendants of survivors and all Coloradans.
From protest to remembrance
The new statues will replace a Union soldier monument that once occupied the same spot. During the 2020 racial‑justice protests, demonstrators toppled that statue after it was discovered to celebrate the “Battle of Sand Creek” while omitting the massacre’s details. The toppled statue now resides at the History Colorado Center, with most graffiti removed.
Later this year, the annual Sand Creek Spiritual Healing Run – a pilgrimage from the massacre site to Denver organized by descendants of survivors since 1999 – will conclude with a blessing of the new Peacekeepers site on the Capitol steps.
While a specific installation date has not yet been set, officials expect the Black Kettle statue to be placed on the west steps of the Capitol in the coming months, with the remaining figures to follow.
Original reporting: Denverite — read the source article.
