On April 20, 2002, the Kaw Nation dedicated Allegawaho Heritage Memorial Park – 168 acres of their native homeland that includes the Monument and one of the three Kaw villages that were occupied from the 1840s to 1872. “This officially marks the return of the Kanzas to the state that bears their name,” said the Kaw Nation’s park director Betty Durkee.

The importance of Iⁿ ‘zhúje ‘waxóbe (the Sacred Red Rock) to the Kanza People has been confirmed in articles, books and by Kaw citizens. It is not a secret. Kaw citizens have been interviewed, in some cases demanding its return, in others asking that its history be acknowledged. But this has never happened. Iⁿ ‘zhúje ‘waxóbe sits there today exactly as it has, with the same bronze plaque and with no mention of the Kanza People.

On behalf of the Kaw Nation, Vice-Chairman James Pepper Henry said, “The Kaw Nation is grateful and humbled to receive generous support from the Mellon Foundation for the return of our sacred ancestor Iⁿ‘zhúje‘waxóbe. This grant will also provide resources to implement an interpretive plan and infrastructure for our visitors to learn about the Kaw people, the original inhabitants of Kansas.  We look forward to working in cooperation with the City of Lawrence, University of Kansas, and other project partners to facilitate this process, and to strengthen our relationship and visibility with the citizens of Kansas.”

A key aspect of the Iⁿ‘zhúje‘waxóbe/Sacred Red Rock Project is acknowledging and redressing the harm done when Iⁿ‘zhúje‘waxóbe was moved from its original location at the confluence of the Shunganunga Creek and Kansas River near Tecumseh, Kansas to Robinson Park in Lawrence in 1929 to become the base for a monument to the City’s “Pioneers.”