The fact is this: in September 1877, the family of a man who had been killed by the United States Army took extraordinary measures to protect his body from further violation.

Those measures were so effective that nearly 150 years later, the location of his burial is still unknown to the public.

The success of that protection is itself historically significant.

It tells us something about the family’s courage and determination.

It tells us something about the community’s ability to maintain and protect knowledge under sustained external pressure.

It tells us something about the nature of a mystery that was created by human agency rather than accidental loss.

The mystery is not a gap in our knowledge waiting to be filled.