... 1867 (140 years ago today), 2 peoples indigenous the United
States' Great Plains, the Kiowa and Comanche, signed with the United States an accord called the Medicine Lodge Treaty (right). Other tribes added their signatures within days. An Oklahoma museum site portrays the pact as the end of native sovereignty in the region:The Medicine Lodge Treaty did not end all the fighting. But it is known as the most important treaty signed on the Southern Plains. The Indians gave up their hunting grounds and their nomadic, carefree way of life. Some lived through the fighting and accepted life on the reservation. Others died for what they believed in.In stark contrast, a Library of Congress site stresses promises of peace in the treaty, and adds:
Today, the treaty is celebrated every three years with a colorful outdoor pageant re-enacting the events that led to the signing at the place where the Medicine River and Elm Creek meet on the Kansas prairie, now designated Memorial Peace Park. Events also include an Intertribal Powwow featuring Native American dance competitions, crafts, and food booths.
