Friends of Kaw Heritage

05/09/2025

Gordon Yellowman shared important history with us regarding the Cheyenne and Arapaho Nations—their migration southwest, way of life, culture, and stories. The buffalo were central to this, and he displayed a lovely painting of a buffalo by his daughter and two other photos to show their importance. He called the bison the "first Walmart"—these nations got everything they needed from the buffalo, one-stop shopping!

Gordon's talk was entertaining and informative. Thank you, Gordon!

04/29/2025

🌾 Kaw Mission Lecture Series – May 4 🌾
Join us for the next Kaw Mission Council Lecture on Sunday, May 4 at 2 p.m. at the Dealership Building, 318 W Main St, Council Grove.
"The Buffalo People of Kansas: Western Expansion, Prairies, and Buffalo"
will explore the impact of Western expansion on Indigenous lands, traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), and the enduring cultural-spiritual connection between the Cheyenne, Arapaho, and the buffalo.
🎤 Featured Speaker: Gordon Yellowman
A respected Tribal Historian and Cheyenne Peace Chief, Gordon Yellowman has served the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes for over 30 years through language preservation, cultural education, and national outreach. He has worked with film producers to spotlight tribal buffalo herds and continues to educate youth and communities about the sacred, physical, and ecological relationship between buffalo and Plains peoples.
☕ Refreshments provided by the Friends of Kaw Heritage
💵 Suggested donation: $3
📞 Info: Mark Brooks | 620-307-2754 | [email protected]
📍 Sponsored by the Kansas Historical Society & local foundations

04/14/2025

It was a great event today. Dr. Fran Levine is a gifted speaker and helped us understand some if the women who traversed the Sante Fe Trail.

Dr. Levine signed her books for the attendees who purchased her book at the event. If you missed it, you can buy it at the Kaw Mission Gift Shop!

04/04/2025

03/10/2025

We had an enjoyable program with Steve Schmidt yesterday. We learned a lot about Sibley's accomplishments and exhibition. I especially liked the original maps Steve showed us and the tools they used to do the survey. We learned that instead of going to Santa Fe, Sibley ended up going to Taos. The maps and pictures were amazing and connected history to the present day. Thank you, Steve!

You can find more information about the Sibley Expedition here: https://santafetrail.org/new-research/sibley-expedition/ Maps and Tabulation. Steve's article on which his presentation was based can be found here: https://santafetrail.org/wagon-tracks/ "Wagon Tracks," August 2024, pages 24-27.

02/12/2025

We had our short Annual Business Meeting and enjoyed Will Haynes' presentation about "The Civil War in Kansas" as part of the Kaw Mission Lecture Series, "Westward Expansion".

Many thanks to Mark Brooks, (site administrator of the Kaw Mission and Last Chance Store Museums), who arranged this session sponsored by this Kansas Humanities program, part of the "21st Century Civics" and supported by Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area, the Kansas Historical Society, and Friends of Kaw Heritage.

02/06/2025

Don't forget our event and Annual Meeting this weekend!

It's that time of year again! Join us for the Friends of Kaw Heritage Annual Meeting, where we’ll reflect on our progress and discuss future initiatives.
This is an excellent opportunity to stay involved, connect with fellow supporters, and help shape the future of our mission!
💙 Your voice matters—come be a part of preserving and celebrating Kaw heritage!
$10 Individual Membership
$20 Family Membership
$30 Business Membership
$50 Sustaining
$100 Benefactor
📢 Tag a friend who should be there and share this post to spread the word!

02/01/2025

It's that time of year again! Join us for the Friends of Kaw Heritage Annual Meeting, where we’ll reflect on our progress and discuss future initiatives.
This is an excellent opportunity to stay involved, connect with fellow supporters, and help shape the future of our mission!
💙 Your voice matters—come be a part of preserving and celebrating Kaw heritage!
$10 Individual Membership
$20 Family Membership
$30 Business Membership
$50 Sustaining
$100 Benefactor
📢 Tag a friend who should be there and share this post to spread the word!

02/01/2025

02/01/2025

Join us for the next Kaw Council!

01/31/2025

Last night, Storm Brave gave a moving and motivational perspective on the history of the Kaw Language and how the Kaw Nation is working to preserve the language and the culture of the people. She asked us to consider the perspective of the Kaw people in all our activities as much healing needs to take place between us all.

Thank you, Storm!

You can find more information about the Kaw Language here: https://www.kawnation.gov/language/

If you missed our earlier post, please do watch the short documentary on how the Kaw Language was brought back from near extinction and revived in the last 50-60 years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPZc37cozeM