Artistry of Plains Indians & Sand Creek massacre.

This month Colorado marked a dark chapter on a stretch of windswept prairie: the 150th anniversary of the Sand Creek Massacre.

That event may not sound familiar, but what occurred over the span of 8 hours, back in 1864, has since come to be viewed by historians as one of the worst atrocities ever perpetrated on Native Americans.

In an unprovoked attack, more than 150 Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians, mostly women and children, were killed at a seasonal camp in eastern Colorado by a volunteer U.S. Army regiment. Body parts were paraded through the streets of Denver as war trophies. Several military and congressional investigations ensued, but no one was ever charged. No formal apology ever issued. Until now.

"We should not be afraid to criticize and condemn that which is inexcusable," said Gov. John Hickenlooper earlier this month, at the end of an 180-mile "healing run" that included direct descendants of those killed that day. "On behalf of the state of Colorado I want to apologize."




Now comes the latest exhibit, which enlarges the usual focus on Plains Indian culture of the late 1800s to showcase artifacts ranging in time from pre-contact with European settlers to the contemporary age. Some items on display have never been showcased at a U.S. museum before; among them is a 19th-century feather headdress, on loan from the musée du quai Branly in Paris.





Robe, Eastern Plains artist; probably Illinois, Mid-Mississippi River Basin, ca. 1700-1740



good read