Mní Tȟo Wakpála
September 3rd, 1855 Massacre at Blue Water Creek, Nebraska
Every September 3rd, members of the Little Thunder Family Wakíŋaŋ Čík’ala and Sičháŋǧu Tióšpaye, along with families from Lewellen, gather to pray for healing at the ‘Witness Tree’ alongside Paul Harney Soderman, descendant of U.S. General William S. Harney.
We remember the tragic events of 1856, when Harney attacked Chief Little Thunder’s peaceful village—slaughtering 86 Lakota elders, women, and children; committing horrific acts such as using babies in cradleboards for target practice and mutilations; capturing surviving women and children; and leaving behind a legacy of horror and intergenerational trauma.
Blue Water Creek Massacre site, Nebraska
"The Witness Tree" (upper center)
Pathways to Ancestral Healing:
The Blue Water Massacre Reconciliation
We are grateful to announce that this month, the 69 Sacred Belongings from the Blue Water Creek Massacre of 1855 will be returning home.
This return is made possible through a respectful partnership with NMNH Ethical Returns and the Shared Stewardship Program, supporting the repatriation of the Warren Collection known as "Belongings" back from the Smithsonian Institution to the Wakíŋaŋ Čík’ala and Sičháŋǧu Tióšpaye and communities.
In addition to a physical return, this is a cultural, emotional, and spiritual restoration. It marks a step toward healing historical wounds, revitalizing cultural lifeways, and reconnecting the community with ancestral Belongings and traditions. Through ceremony, these Belongings become Wisdom Keepers—restoring knowledge, inspiring healing, and nourishing cultural renewal.
This sacred return strengthens identity, resilience, and pride, honoring the past, empowering the present, and protecting the future. It also supports environmental sovereignty by restoring the bond between land, spirit, and The People.
We are planning the Mní Thó Wákpalá Memorial Garden near the massacre site—a living memorial to remember and educate about the Wakíŋaŋ Čík’ala and Sičháŋǧu Tióšpaye communities’ enduring spirit. By honoring this living history, we foster cultural understanding, challenge outdated narratives, and create space for healing and collective remembrance.
Executive Director Phillip Little Thunder prays at Blue Water Creek Massacre Site (2024)
(Click photo) To view the 69 belongings taken from the victims of the massacre and held by the Smithsonian Institution since 1873. Ancestral Healing Circle (AHC) is actively working with the NMNH Ethical Returns and Stewardship Program to bring these sacred items home.
"Meeting with the Smithsonian Institution"
Click image to Open PDF
1855 Blue Water Belongings aka Warren Collection
Letters of Validation & Support
