The site’s interpretation weaves together the documentary record, the archaeological evidence, and the oral tradition of the descendant communities into a comprehensive presentation of what happened on November 29, 1864.

Black Kettle’s Place in the History of Peace

Within the broader history of Indigenous peoples’ responses to American expansion, Black Kettle represents one of the most principled examples of the peace strategy — and one of its most consequential failures.

The peace strategy, as pursued by leaders like Black Kettle, was based on several propositions: that the American military was too powerful to defeat in sustained armed conflict; that the American political system contained a peace faction capable of producing genuine commitments; that the best available path for Indigenous survival was through negotiated accommodation that would preserve some degree of cultural and political autonomy.

These propositions were not wrong in their analysis of the situation.