Broomfield History

Working with the Cheyenne and Arapaho in Broomfield

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In the late summer of 2021, I spoke with Gail Ridgely, a member of the Northern Arapaho, in preparation for the Only the Earth and the Mountains film screening on December 1, 2021. It was a wide-ranging and illuminating conversation. He shared with me his work to heal both himself and his community through telling the true story of the Sand Creek Massacre. One particularly poignant statement he made was, “We [the Arapaho] think of Colorado as home. When we visit it’s like coming home.”

My heart broke at that moment as I thought about the Arapaho’s long sojourn—they were forced out of this state in 1867—from the place they call home. Words failed me. They still do. I know that I still have so much to learn from Gail and from other members of the Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes, and I am thankful to have the opportunity to continue to forge relationships and to learn more about the people who called this place home prior to white settlement.

Since my conversation with Gail, I have been heartened by the Broomfield community’s interest in healing the wounds of the past and in developing relationships with the Arapaho and Cheyenne. This work resulted in a trip by members of the Confluence group to Oklahoma in May of 2022 to visit the Cheyenne and Arapaho of Oklahoma at their headquarters in Concho and at other traditional tribal lands throughout the state. 

Moreover, the Confluence group, Friends of Broomfield History, and the City and County of Broomfield are looking for other ways to welcome and host members of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes. Healing takes time, but we are glad to have started the journey!

ONLY THE EARTH AND THE MOUNTAINS
Trailer below

On the Study of the Past

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David Allison

I visited Horizon High School in Thornton a few months ago to speak to a group of 40 or so students about why we study history and describe some of the ways that the teaching of history is changing in the United States. The panel of us—including three people from History Colorado and a staffer from the State Archaeological office—spoke to how history is actually something that is created, rather than presented as a set of immutable facts, and how traditionally history has been more tied to civics (how “we” function as citizens in a democracy) than it has been about understanding the ways that history influences current situations. History is a lens through which we can seek a more just future.

Of course, there is danger in seeing history as only applicable to the present. When we do this, we neglect the unique stories and voices of the people of the past speaking on their own terms. We can lapse into an empty “presentism” that degrades our empathy and causes us to either villainize or valorize past historical actors. 

Ultimately, history is wrapped up in layers of complexity. We are indebted to past interpretations of the past, yet we must also forge new interpretations based on new information and understandings of our world. We need to look to the past to inform our present and our future, whilst also acknowledging that our current biases and lenses (as well as the strangeness of the past) prevent us from drawing 1 to 1 comparisons; therefore, we should infuse our interpretations with humility and grace. 

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Photo by Pavel Danilyuk