After a successful effort to rematriate the Sacred Red Rock with the Kaw people, the Lawrence City Commission has approved markers to be placed in the park where the stolen boulder sat for nearly a century.
Iⁿ‘zhúje‘waxóbe — the Sacred Red Rock — was held at Lawrence’s Robinson Park, where it had a plaque revering mostly white settlers attached to it. The massive red Siouxan quartzite boulder holds deep historical, cultural and spiritual meaning to the Kaw Nation.
The Sacred Red Rock was removed from Robinson Park in August 2023 and placed in storage until it was moved to its new home in March: on Kaw land at Allegawaho Memorial Heritage Park near Council Grove. About 400 people showed up to a rematriation ceremony in June. The bronze plaque that had been affixed to it was removed in July 2023 and is now at Watkins Museum of History in Lawrence.
The new markers will be placed in the park to summarize that history and ensure that the history and the people past and present are remembered.
James Pepper Henry, vice-chairman of the Kaw Nation, had spoken to Lawrence city commissioners in 2022: “The last thing the Kaw Nation, the Kaw people want to do is to erase ourselves even further from the conversation in Lawrence, Kansas,” he said. “And so we would like to have a presence in some way or another, be recognized, along with the other Indigenous communities that have had occupation in that area for time immemorial, and be recognized at Robinson Park.”
One of the two panels represents the story of the boulder’s move to Robinson Park, the request for its return to the Kaw Nation and the process of sending it back. The other shares a brief history of the Kaw Nation’s connection to Lawrence, and how settlers colonized the area and forced tribes to leave.
The city’s Historic Resources Commission voted in September to recommend approval of the two markers to be placed in Robinson Park, which is on Sixth Street near City Hall and the Kansas River Bridge.
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board also recommended approval in November. They did voice concerns, however, about accessibility, as the panels will not have an audio option. Lynne Braddock Zollner, historic resources administrator for the city, told commissioners that there will be alternate, accessible versions at the Watkins Museum.
Robinson Park is currently owned by Douglas County. Toni Wheeler, city attorney, told commissioners she has been working with county counsel on a memorandum of understanding with regards to the land ownership.
Jay Johnson, KU professor and member of the Sacred Red Rock project team, told the HRC in September that the team planned to give another presentation to the Lawrence City Commission including possibly suggesting a new name for the park.
Robinson Park was named for Kansas’ first governor, Charles Robinson, who would later become superintendent of what was then called Haskell Institute. It was a boarding school where Indigenous children were forced to abandon their heritage, language and traditions, and assimilate.
That conversation will likely continue in the near future.
City commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved the markers and chosen location in the park.
The cost of the markers is covered by the grant that funded the rematriation and associated community education and engagement. The city will maintain the markers. Read more about the project in the articles linked below.
Here’s a look at the full markers; click to zoom in:
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Lawrence City Commission approves markers to tell story of Sacred Red Rock
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
