As you may know, November is Native American Heritage Month. November 29 is also the 160th remembrance of the Sand Creek Massacre, in which a Methodist pastor led the slaughter of 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho peoples. Most of the loved ones who were slain were women, children, and elders.

The United Methodist Church is in a repenting and repairing process for its involvement in this particular incident but also for its mistreatment of Native Americans throughout history. The Cheyenne people didn’t just experience Sand Creek, but multiple other traumas including displacement, boarding schools, other massacres, and the suppression of cultural norms. This has led to generational traumas that persist to this very day.

This episode of Faith Talks is focused on Native American Heritage Month and the Sand Creek Massacre. We will talk with Otto Braided Hair, who is a Northern Cheyenne descendant, and Bishop Elaine Stanovsky, who co-chaired, along with Otto, an advisory report on the Sand Creek Massacre during the 2016 General Conference in Portland, Oregon. We hope you’ll join us in learning about our history and recommitting ourselves to the work of healing and reconciliation. Please register and invite a friend to do so as well. 

Faith Talks is produced by United Women in Faith. This episode is hosted by Emily Jones, the Executive for Racial Justice at United Women in Faith.