Monday morning, April 30, a proposed non-disciplinary legislation on the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre has passed the Plenary at the General Conference in Tampa. The petition asks the 2012 General Conference to do the following:
*To fully recognize the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana, and the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, and the Northern Arapaho of Wyoming as the Federally recognized Tribes as stated in the 1865 Treaty of Little Arkansas with the US government.
*To consult on and support efforts pertaining to preservation, repatriations with the four tribes mentioned above (through the council of Bishops and the appropriate boards and agencies)
*To authorize research by a joint team including an independent body and provide full disclosure of the involvement and influence in the Sand Creek Massacre and report back to the 2016 General Conference (through the Council of Bishops and the General Commission on Archives and History).
*To support and participate in the return to the “Tribes” of any Native artifacts or remains related to the Sand Creek Massacre.
