The National Park Service’s website appropriately describes the Massacre at Sand Creek as a “Betrayal” and “an American Atrocity”:
On November 29th, 1864, Chiefs Black Kettle, White Antelope, Left Hand and others were encamped with around 750 Arapaho and Cheyenne people in a valley by the Big Sandy Creek. A hope for peace, brought forth by Black Kettle was in the balance…
Join me on an annual Memorial Day weekend pilgrimage to the site of one of the most seminal and sobering events in the history of the Tsitsistas (Cheyenne nation), Hinono’eiteen (the Arapaho nation), the State of Colorado and the American West. Through embodied experience, historical reflection, group discussion and a liturgy of lament, we will wrestle with our collective past, our present societal moment and possible future expressions of identity, faith and justice.
Here’s what former Sand Creek pilgrims have said about their experience…
Participants must arrange their own transportation to and from Sand Creek, which is near Eads, Colo., and plan appropriately for unpredictable weather. Admission to the National Historic Site is free. Pre-pilgrimage preparation, a guided “pilgrimage experience” and post-pilgrimage resources for further exploration and reflection are all provided for participants. On-site donations for the upkeep of the NPS site are encouraged, as are contributions to advocacy and awareness efforts led by Sand Creek survivor-descendants.
In 2025, in partnership with the Episcopal Indigenous Justice Roundtable, the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery and the Colorado Coalition of Indigenous Allies, more than 50 people from across Colorado and the United States participated in a first-ever, two-day “Truth and Repair Pilgrimage.” It included a half-day workshop on Friday, May 23, and an on-site Sand Creek pilgrimage experience on Saturday, May 24. (Special thanks to the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado for helping catalyze it all!)
We’re already in discussions to organize another two-day experience in 2026, which will mark the 12th time I’ve led group pilgrimages at Sand Creek. There likely will be a one-day option for those unable to participate both days.
A “Truth and Repair Pilgrimage,” including an all-day Pilgrimage to Sand Creek
Memorial Day Weekend
Friday, May 22, and Saturday, May 23, 2026
RSVP via email
