The In‘zhúje‘waxóbe/Sacred Red Rock Project rematriation leadership team includes representatives from the University of Kansas’s Institute for Policy & Social Research (IPSR) (Prof. Jay T. Johnson, Director of the Center for Indigenous Research, Science, and Technology [C-FIRST]), the Kaw Nation (James Pepper Henry, Tribal Council Vice Chair, and Pauline Eads Sharp, Chair of the Kanza Heritage Society), local artist and community organizer (Dave Loewenstein), City of Lawrence (Toni Wheeler, City Attorney), and the Spencer Museum (Sydney Pursel, Curator for Public Practice)). This team developed initially as part of Dave Loewenstein and Pauline Eads Sharp’s work through the Between the Rock and a Hard Place grant project. Jay T. Johnson was invited to join their project at the beginning of the project and as the work progressed, James Pepper Henry joined the effort. Toni Wheeler has represented the City from the earliest stages of the negotiation over the return of Iⁿ ‘zhúje ‘waxóbe to the tribe and authored the formal apology. Sydney Pursel was invited to join the team so that her expertise, and the expertise of the Spencer Museum, could be added to the project.
As a team, we feel strongly that this is the time to engage in this effort. All around the Country, communities are thinking about how they are represented or misrepresented by local monuments. Now Lawrence has the opportunity to begin this process by reflecting on its founding monument and, if needed, redressing its faults and omissions.
Many people have shared their knowledge, skills and experience with this project including: James Pepper Henry, Curtis Kekahbah, Charles Curtis Kekahbah, Lauren Kekahbah, Charlee Huffman, Jay Johnson, Tai Edwards, Sara Gregg, Beth Schultz, Dennis Domer, Brett Ramey, Toni Wheeler, Dawn Buehler, Nicholas Ward and David Roediger. We are grateful to them all.
