Descendants of Sand Creek Massacre sue over treaty promise

Thursday, July 11, 2013  

Four members of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes are suing the federal government over a treaty that promised reparations for the November 29, 1864, Sand Creek Massacre in Colorado.

In the 1865 Treaty of Little Arkansas, the U.S. condemned the massacre of peaceful Cheyennes and Arapahos by the U.S. Army. The treaty promised land and "compensation" to those who were affected.

The lawsuit alleges the Interior Department failed to carry out its obligations. It seeks an accounting of any land and funds that may have been appropriated and distributed following the treaty.

The four plaintiffs are Homer Flute, Robert Simpson Jr., Thompson Flute Jr., and Dorothy Wood. They are seeking class action status for their lawsuit and the complaint says as many as 15,000 descendant might be included.

Get the Story:
Sand Creek Massacre descendants sue federal government for reparations (The Denver Post 7/11)

Center finally consults tribes on Sand Creek Massacre exhibit (7/3)