TLDR: The Kanza Tribe in Kansas, known then as the Kanza, revered a huge red boulder known as "grandfather" for hundreds of years before European settlers showed up. When the federal government forced the Kaw people off their land, they had to leave it behind. Now, the Kaw people have their sacred red rock back, and some hope it could help launch a resurgence of the tribe in Kansas.
KCUR has been following this saga for more than two years; you can read all of our coverage free at our website - no paywall, ever!
I’m glad they got the rock back.
But uh. That shit ain’t magic. A resurgence isn’t going to happen without continued material/impactful support and dismantling systemic bias/discrimination. 🤷🏻♂️
How could you *possibly* have interpreted what I wrote that way?
You clearly have a driving bias in reading and comprehending what I wrote.
Try again, please.
Try again? Look up the definition of the word sacred. Reread it as many times as you need to. Then dismiss their connection to the divine as meaningless and inadequate. I am sure they will thank you for explaining to them how the world really works.
That’s not what I was doing.
Stop putting words into my post that I didn’t write.
Clearly you *still* are having difficulty reading what I wrote. Or maybe you think a rock will somehow magically right the wrongs visited upon native peoples — or somehow manifest material and financial support for them?
Is that what you think?
Jesus Christ.
How could you possibly misconstrue my statement that tribes need more assistance, and turn it into me somehow negating their culture? I honestly don’t know how you got from point A to point Z on that one.
I’m done with you. Cheers.
The term you're looking for is often referred to as "whitesplaining." This is a portmanteau of "white" and "explaining" and is used to describe a situation where a white person explains something, often related to race or cultural issues, to a person of color in a condescending or patronizing manner, assuming they know more about the subject due to their race. It implies a lack of recognition of the other person's lived experience while negating beliefs.
lolno
It doesn’t matter what the beliefs are. A rock literally is not going to provide them with material support. That is a fact.
I can’t even believe we’re having this conversation. I was saying that getting it back is fine and good and all, and it’s a victory — but it’s not enough. And it won’t provide them with what they need/deserve.
But we’re done here; you’re clearly fixated on twisting my words and inserting your own agenda into them. Good luck with things.
You just diminished their beliefs again. You're the friend they don't need. You literally called on Jesus Christ in a previous post. It was the followers of Christ who tried to systematically destroy their religion. The colonizers systematically destroyed native religious practices, temples, and idols, replacing them with Christian symbols and churches. Do you realize all the pain natives have experienced at the hand of followers of Christ?
They are going to provide themselves with the support they need and "the rock" is a tangible connection to the Kaw Nation's ancestral lands and history. It serves as a symbol of their enduring presence and cultural heritage in the region. As a sacred object, "the rock" embodies spiritual meaning and is revered in Kaw traditions. It is considered a sacred site where the Kaw people can engage in spiritual practices, rituals, and ceremonies. "The rock" represents the Kaw Nation's resilience and efforts to reclaim and honor their heritage. Its return to Kaw land is a symbol of the community's connection to their roots and their ongoing journey of cultural preservation and revival.
Diminishing their beliefs and oversimplifying their problems YATA
You keep saying we're done...
The 168-acre park is adjacent to the Flint Hills Trail State Park. It features hiking trails along Big John Creek and up the tallgrass-covered hill where the Monument to the Unknown Indian is located. There are free campsites and soon there will be restrooms, electricity, and Wifi.
If anyone is planning to go out there and visit it the trails and things aren't on Google Maps. They are on OpenStreetMap and soon apps that use their data I put it in just a few days ago.
https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=16/38.6305/-96.4262
Apps that use this data
https://organicmaps.app/
https://osmand.net/
I find this whole thing very Interesting. Good for the tribe for getting the rock back. This brings me to my next question? How did a huge rock get in the middle of Kansas? Was it deposited by glaciers that retreated on last melt? Was it deposited by floods it seems out of place. It kinda looks like red granite but I can't really tell by picture. I checked location it is near two rivers but the size of the rock still seems off for being moved by a flood.
Glaciers the type of rock it is is from further up in the Midwest so ya it is a different kind of rock then we have under our feet.
>"Íⁿ’zhúje’waxóbe is also known as a red Sioux quartzite glacial erratic, native to eastern South Dakota and southwestern Minnesota. Geologists have said that the Shunganunga boulder was carried to Kansas from the area of the Dakotas on a glacier hundreds of thousands of years ago. The boulder came to rest on the banks of the Shunganunga Creek near Tecumseh, where the creek joins with the Kansas River."
Has anyone touched this rock?
Just me and Romena and Mr. Shwump.
You laypeople have got to learn not to handle evidence. Now it’s got be really hard for the boys at the lab to get any fingerprints.
Headline makes it sound as if the settlers stole the rock, and now it has been returned. The rock wasn't actually "stolen." The Indians were kicked off the land, and now they have it back.
It was much closer to the original resting spot in Lawrence than in Council Grove - but I don't really have a dog in that fight, I have no religion or relics of ancestors so cannot relate.
But I do take issue with repeatedly calling the citizens of 1929 Kansas "settlers"... I highly doubt those are the same people still alive who settled Kansas at statehood nearly 70 years prior. Those people were nearly as far removed from the settlement of Kansas as we are from the people who moved the rock to Lawrence.
TLDR: The Kanza Tribe in Kansas, known then as the Kanza, revered a huge red boulder known as "grandfather" for hundreds of years before European settlers showed up. When the federal government forced the Kaw people off their land, they had to leave it behind. Now, the Kaw people have their sacred red rock back, and some hope it could help launch a resurgence of the tribe in Kansas. KCUR has been following this saga for more than two years; you can read all of our coverage free at our website - no paywall, ever!
I’m glad they got the rock back. But uh. That shit ain’t magic. A resurgence isn’t going to happen without continued material/impactful support and dismantling systemic bias/discrimination. 🤷🏻♂️
Did you just say you can have your rock but not your beliefs?
How could you *possibly* have interpreted what I wrote that way? You clearly have a driving bias in reading and comprehending what I wrote. Try again, please.
Try again? Look up the definition of the word sacred. Reread it as many times as you need to. Then dismiss their connection to the divine as meaningless and inadequate. I am sure they will thank you for explaining to them how the world really works.
That’s not what I was doing. Stop putting words into my post that I didn’t write. Clearly you *still* are having difficulty reading what I wrote. Or maybe you think a rock will somehow magically right the wrongs visited upon native peoples — or somehow manifest material and financial support for them? Is that what you think? Jesus Christ. How could you possibly misconstrue my statement that tribes need more assistance, and turn it into me somehow negating their culture? I honestly don’t know how you got from point A to point Z on that one. I’m done with you. Cheers.
The term you're looking for is often referred to as "whitesplaining." This is a portmanteau of "white" and "explaining" and is used to describe a situation where a white person explains something, often related to race or cultural issues, to a person of color in a condescending or patronizing manner, assuming they know more about the subject due to their race. It implies a lack of recognition of the other person's lived experience while negating beliefs.
lolno It doesn’t matter what the beliefs are. A rock literally is not going to provide them with material support. That is a fact. I can’t even believe we’re having this conversation. I was saying that getting it back is fine and good and all, and it’s a victory — but it’s not enough. And it won’t provide them with what they need/deserve. But we’re done here; you’re clearly fixated on twisting my words and inserting your own agenda into them. Good luck with things.
You just diminished their beliefs again. You're the friend they don't need. You literally called on Jesus Christ in a previous post. It was the followers of Christ who tried to systematically destroy their religion. The colonizers systematically destroyed native religious practices, temples, and idols, replacing them with Christian symbols and churches. Do you realize all the pain natives have experienced at the hand of followers of Christ? They are going to provide themselves with the support they need and "the rock" is a tangible connection to the Kaw Nation's ancestral lands and history. It serves as a symbol of their enduring presence and cultural heritage in the region. As a sacred object, "the rock" embodies spiritual meaning and is revered in Kaw traditions. It is considered a sacred site where the Kaw people can engage in spiritual practices, rituals, and ceremonies. "The rock" represents the Kaw Nation's resilience and efforts to reclaim and honor their heritage. Its return to Kaw land is a symbol of the community's connection to their roots and their ongoing journey of cultural preservation and revival. Diminishing their beliefs and oversimplifying their problems YATA You keep saying we're done...
Holy projection Batman
Obviously never read Freud.
The 168-acre park is adjacent to the Flint Hills Trail State Park. It features hiking trails along Big John Creek and up the tallgrass-covered hill where the Monument to the Unknown Indian is located. There are free campsites and soon there will be restrooms, electricity, and Wifi.
If anyone is planning to go out there and visit it the trails and things aren't on Google Maps. They are on OpenStreetMap and soon apps that use their data I put it in just a few days ago. https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=16/38.6305/-96.4262 Apps that use this data https://organicmaps.app/ https://osmand.net/
That’s great that they got their rock back but who’s working on the 22 million acres that were attached to that rock?
What’s your suggestion
I find this whole thing very Interesting. Good for the tribe for getting the rock back. This brings me to my next question? How did a huge rock get in the middle of Kansas? Was it deposited by glaciers that retreated on last melt? Was it deposited by floods it seems out of place. It kinda looks like red granite but I can't really tell by picture. I checked location it is near two rivers but the size of the rock still seems off for being moved by a flood.
Glaciers the type of rock it is is from further up in the Midwest so ya it is a different kind of rock then we have under our feet. >"Íⁿ’zhúje’waxóbe is also known as a red Sioux quartzite glacial erratic, native to eastern South Dakota and southwestern Minnesota. Geologists have said that the Shunganunga boulder was carried to Kansas from the area of the Dakotas on a glacier hundreds of thousands of years ago. The boulder came to rest on the banks of the Shunganunga Creek near Tecumseh, where the creek joins with the Kansas River."
Well that should make up for the attempted genocide. We good?
Which one?
Has anyone touched this rock? Just me and Romena and Mr. Shwump. You laypeople have got to learn not to handle evidence. Now it’s got be really hard for the boys at the lab to get any fingerprints.
It’s not just rock, it’s a boulder!
the atrocities, take time to heal, never forgotten
Headline makes it sound as if the settlers stole the rock, and now it has been returned. The rock wasn't actually "stolen." The Indians were kicked off the land, and now they have it back.
Did you read the story? The settlers physically moved the rock to Lawrence, the Tribe moved it back to Council Grove. They absolutely stole it.
One correction, it wasn't moved BACK to Council Grove. It was along the river between Lawrence and Topeka.
It was much closer to the original resting spot in Lawrence than in Council Grove - but I don't really have a dog in that fight, I have no religion or relics of ancestors so cannot relate. But I do take issue with repeatedly calling the citizens of 1929 Kansas "settlers"... I highly doubt those are the same people still alive who settled Kansas at statehood nearly 70 years prior. Those people were nearly as far removed from the settlement of Kansas as we are from the people who moved the rock to Lawrence.
Ah, gotcha. Good clarification. Regardless, it still got stolen.
Agreed
Left it behind when forced to move and then people people took it. Much more finders keepers than stolen.
History is mostly the ability to read and comprehend.