A dedication ceremony took place as a part of Lawrence’s 75th anniversary (Iⁿ‘zhúje‘waxóbe) on October 11, 1929. Photo: Courtesy of the Watkins Museum of History

In sepia, sixteen white people gather in front of the Shunganunga boulder with a plaque affixed to it. The clothing pictured, suits and fur coats, appears to convey a high level of wealth.

Iⁿ‘zhúje‘waxóbe sits on a cart as captured in the Monday, September 23, 1929 issue of the “Kansas City Star.” Photo: Dave Loewenstein

An old newspaper article displays a black and white photo of the Shunganunga boulder on a cart. The article reads "The huge red quartzite boulder pulled from the Kaw River, near Tecumseh, Kas., by a Santa Fe wrecking crane and transported to Lawrence, is shown on trucks being taken to Robinson Park, where it was put in place today. Next month, as a feature of the seventy-fifth anniversary celebration, the boulder will be dedicated formally. A bronze tablet, bearing the names of the pioneer party which first settled in Lawrence, and the second party, which arrived at the townsite shortly after the first, is being made in Kansas City, and will be placed on the stone. The boulder is estimated to weigh twenty-one tons."

The Kaw Nation, community organizers, and the City of Lawrence, Kansas, are returning a sacred stone to its rightful location.

Iⁿ ‘zhúje ‘waxóbe 

Iⁿ‘zhúje‘waxóbe is being relocated to Kaw Nation land. Photo: Mike Gunnoe, courtesy of the University of Kansas Endowment Association 

In a clearing at sunrise, a tall red stone boulder sits on a pedestal made of smaller stones. The boulder is almost as tall as the trees around it. 

The Kaw Nation Reclaims a Sacred Stone

Artists as Catalysts

Artists as Catalysts Navigation Image

Beyond Incarceration

A side profile of a Black poet who is wearing glasses and a hat with a feather hat pin.

Borderlands Cultures

In portrait orientation, an aerial view of a major highway running parallel to a large border wall set on a hilly landscape

Civic Engagement

A man in a brown jacket stands in front of blue bulletin board that is covered with papers and advertisements  

Evolving Higher Education

A vertical image of an Indigenous person who is sitting on a chair in front of a backdrop.

Expanding Public Knowledge

An interior room filled with audio and video equipment 

Monuments and Memory

A multicolored painted totem pole set in front of a foggy forest landscape

Multivocality

Five people stand together in a group photo. They are laughing and smiling.

Power of the Word

Five colorful neon signs hang on the wall with messages that include, "Freedom cannot wait," "Brown owned," and "America is for Dreamers."

Public Places‚ Public Stories

A group of Indigenous Maskoke people stand and sit in the wooden frame of a structure in a woods

Puerto Rico and Its Diaspora

In a vertical image, a black leather vest is adorned with colorful pins across the front of it. Embroidery on the vest reads: "Felícitas "La Prieta" Méndez" 

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