A documentary film telling the story of the Sacred Red Rock’s return to the Kaw Nation is set for a screening at Liberty Hall in Lawrence.
The screening of “Return of the Sacred Red Rock” is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 27 in the main theater at 644 Massachusetts St. A panel discussion will follow.
The film, funded as part of a $5 million Mellon Foundation grant, documents the process to return Iⁿ ‘zhúje ‘waxóbe to the Kaw people for whom the massive red Siouxan quartzite boulder holds deep historical, cultural and spiritual meaning.
In 1929, the Sacred Red Rock was moved from its natural location near Tecumseh, Kansas, to Robinson Park, in Lawrence, where it had a plaque revering mostly white settlers attached to it and was held for nearly a century as a monument. In December of 2020, the Kaw Nation submitted a formal request to the Lawrence City Commission for its return. The City of Lawrence in March 2021 apologized and issued a resolution that included a commitment to the Sacred Red Rock’s “unconditional return” to the Kaw People.
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 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 2024: on Kaw land at Allegawaho Memorial Heritage Park near Council Grove. About 400 people showed up to a rematriation ceremony there in June 2024.
“The film documents the cooperation between community and governmental stakeholders in Lawrence, Kansas and Kaw citizens in rematriating Iⁿ‘zhúje‘waxóbe to Kaw Nation,” according to a news release about the screening. “It follows the events leading up to and culmination of the Red Rock’s relocation to Allegawaho Memorial Heritage Park in Council Grove, Kansas.”
Admission to the screening is free on a first-come, first-served basis, and light refreshments will be available.
Read more about the Sacred Red Rock in the articles at this link and on the project website, sacredredrock.com.
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