Shokhí

c. huffman is a Kaw Nation Citizen with an MFA and an MDiv who sits at the intersection of privilege, dis/ability and Indigeneity; a place where poetry and theology dance. Her writing has appeared in The Ending Hasn’t Happened Yet, a poetry anthology edited by Hannah Soyer.Tai S. Edwards is professor of history and director of the Kansas Studies Institute at Johnson County Community College. She is the author of Osage Women and Empire: Gender and Power and co-editor of Lyda Conley and the Fight to Preserve Huron Indian Cemetery, also published by Kansas.Jay T. Johnson is University Distinguished Professor of Geography at the University of Kansas and director of the Center for Indigenous Research, Science, and Technology. His work has appeared in GeoHumanities, Geographical Research, Nature Sustainability, Sustainability Science, and other publications.

"Shokhí: How In‘zhúje‘waxóbe Returns Home and the Rematriation of a Stolen Monument is both gorgeous and important. This compelling edited collection weaves together geology, history, interview, personal narrative, poetry and other creative arts to chronicle stories of Kaw Nation resilience, of historical violence, and, crucially, of the realities surrounding Indigenous, Black, and settler experiences in Lawrence, Kansas. Lingering on the intersections of memory and human/other-than-human relationship, Shokhí will be of significant interest to scholars, students, and teachers, and, at the same time, is accessible reading for the general public. A must-read, must-teach book"—Lisa Tatonetti, author of Written by the Body: Gender Expansiveness and Indigenous Non-Cis Masculinity"This volume speaks powerfully to the reclaiming of Indigenous ontologies amid a legacy of invisibility and historical revisionism. Through poetry, interviews, history, geology, and personal narrative, In‘zhúje‘waxóbe’s rematriation journey brings readers into the lives and experiences of the people who count him as family."—Roberto Herrera, Medgar Evers College CUNY, Assistant Professor of Anthropology"Through multigenre text and art, Shokhí: A Kanza Relative, a Monument, and Rematriation documents the return home of the Kanza Nation’s Grandfather Rock. Oral history is interwoven with photographs, photographs interwoven with poetry, poetry interwoven with visual art. Compelling and comprehensive, ShokhÍ is a necessary read for all Kansans. Really, in its beautiful testament to the interdependent nature of human and non-(more-than)-human, it is a necessary read for everyone."—Hannah Soyer, author of Dreams in Which I’m Almost Human: A Memoir"Authors, c. huffman, Tai S. Edwards and Jay T. Johnson of In‘zhúje‘waxúbe, move effortlessly between past and present, between intergenerational moments in Kansas history building upon how social discourse illuminates the ruptures between Western scientific and Kanza cultural rationality. The authors tell an Indigenous story of rematriation while simultaneously creating contemporary sacred spaces within the traditional homelands of the Kaw Nation. The Sacred Red Rock Project examines Indigenous ontology and sense-of-place against the backdrop of scientific controversies to bring home In‘zhúje‘waxóbe, a 28-ton grandfather red quartzite boulder stone from Lawrence, KS to the tribal homelands of the Kaw Nation located in Council Grove, KS. By braiding Indigenous knowledge with Eurocentric knowledge, the authors demand that we address the esoteric; the immaterial, non-tangible aspects of reality that challenges a Eurocentric claim to universal truth—contrasted with a more pluralistic view of an Indigenous experience attempting to heal their people, restore their inherent dignity, and apply fundamental human rights to their tribal communities which has been transmitted generation to generation."—Dr. Cornel Pewewardy of In‘zhúje‘waxóbe

• Preface: A Cover Art Statement by Chris PappanForeword: Stories in Stone by Paul M. FarberInvocation: In the (Monument) Lab by c. HuffmanIntroduction: Getting to Know (You) by c. huffman and Tai S. EdwardsPART 1—Minxci. Wayaje–Words1. “The Importance of the Stone”: An Oral History with Curtis Kekahbah2. In, Ni, Taje, c. Huffman3. In‘zhuje ‘waxobe Is a Survivor: A Brief Geological History, Andreas Moller4. Rock, Prayer, Science (Shoot!), c. Huffman5. “Humans Are Attracted to These Stones”: Dave Loewenstein’s Artistic Pursuit of Boulder Monuments6. Geography of the Soul, c. Huffman7. Erratics: An Exhibition, Dave Loewenstein8. A Short History of the Land Known as Robinson Park, Tai S. Edwards9. “Too Much of Lawrence’s History Has Disappeared”: Ursula Minor on Lynchings, the Settler Monument, and Remembering10. Sonnet 81, Reconstructed by c. Huffman11. Charles Robinson, For Whom This Park Is Named, Tai S. Edwards12. Revolutionary Business, c. Huffman13. The Who’s Who of Making In‘zhuje‘waxobe into a Monument, Tai S. EdwardsPART 2—Nonba. Owahane—Relationship 14. Walking Cloud Has Come This Morning, c. Huffman15. In‘zhuje‘waxobe: An Agent of Place, Soren C. Larsen and Jay T. Johnson16. ÜI Can Open My Heart and Explore What We Can Do Differently Now”: Joni Fornelli on the Doctrine of Discovery, the Family Farm, and Repair17. Bad Weather, c. Huffman18. Changing the Name of the “Dirty Kanza” Bike Race: A Timeline, Tai S. Edwards19. Women, Rocks, and Credit Scores, c. Huffman20. Ninety-Five-Year Liturgy, Posey Krakowsky21. “Grandma Lucy Was Chief of the Kaw in 1929 When the Sacred Red Rock Was Stolen Out of the River” by Pauline Eads Sharp22. Ode to Rock, Beloved (Sapphic), c. Huffman23. The Tangible and Intangible Things That We Belong To, James Pepper Henry24. There Is a Map of Kansas in My Veins, c. Huffman25. “This Interweaving of Stories and Truths”: A Conversation About Community Engagement with Dave Loewenstein and Sydney Pursel26. Haskell Indian Nations University Student Art27. At the Water’s Edge, Lisa Grossman28. Minxoge. Made from Mialoshka. Made by., c. Huffman29. Just Humans, Being by Reuben Ironhorse-Kent andc. HuffmanPART 3—Yablin. Shokhi—Arrive Back There at One’s Home30. Rematriation: A Conversation in Four Parts, c. huffman and Tai S. Edwards31. Rematriation: A Visual Meditation, Chris Pappan32. “I Thought About the Resilience of the Kaw People, [and] the Resilience of My People”: Toni Wheeler on the City of Lawrence’s Apology and the Rematriation of In‘zhuje‘waxobe33. More Than Just Words: Lawrence, Kansas, Settler Apologies, and Restitution, Andrew Frederick and Jay T. Johnson34. “It Was Always Like Visiting Somebody in Jail”: Tommee Sherwood on In‘zhuje‘waxobe35. On Judgment and Negotiation (Thoughts, and a Penny.), c. Huffman36. From In‘zhuje‘waxobe to Big Red Rock: Confronting the Settler-Colonial Past and Present of Lawrence, Kansas, Hayden L. Nelson37. Hazards Flashing [Redacted], c. Huffman38. “What a Small Group of Determined People Can Accomplish”: Pauline Eads Sharp and Dave Loewenstein Reflect on Rematriating In‘zhuje‘waxobe39. Reading Through Tears (Mourner‘s Meal), c. Huffman40. “He Was an Activist, and He Wanted to Do What He Could for His People”: A Conversation Between Mary Fi Kekahbah and c. huffman on Curtis Kekahbah’s Love and Activism41. I‘m Glad That You Are Here, Old Friend. c. HuffmanConclusions by c. huffman and Tai S. Edwards, with Jay T. JohnsonEpilogue. Rock Is Not a Stepping Stone: A Meditation by c. huffman with Chris PappanAppendix 1. Governor Reed’s Speech from the Early Settlers’ Monument Dedication (1929)Appendix 2. Kaw Nation Letter Requesting In‘zhuje‘waxobe‘s Return (2020)Appendix 3. City of Lawrence and Douglas County Joint Resolution, Apology and Return of In‘zhuje‘waxobe (2021)Appendix 4. In‘zhuje‘waxobe: Shokhi (Coming Home)–Curriculum (2021)Appendix 5. In‘zhuje‘waxobe/Sacred Red Rock Activity Guide (2023)Appendix 6. Speeches from Return of the Rock Celebration (2023)Appendix 7. Pauline Eads Sharp’s Closing Remarks at the Return of the Sacred Red Rock Film Screening (2025)AcknowledgmentsContributors