Dylan Yoder
Columnist
A topic that’s always perplexed me is the fact that our very own state of Kansas has an expansive history of many different cultures and nations that have lived here for 10,000 years before us, and yet we don’t learn about them in our schools today. I am of course talking about the Native American population of Kansas from generations long ago. Now, many people would write this off as unimportant history, but I on the other hand think that there is a lot we can learn from our ancient land ancestors. Keep reading to see how one former journalist showcases the Native American history of her very own community.
The land that we now call Kansas has been home to many Indigenous peoples. The Arapaho, Cheyenne, Comanche, Kanza, Kiowa, Osage, Pawnee, and Wichita tribes are considered to be native to Kansas in the present day. There are also many other immigrant tribes that moved through during the displacement from their original homelands. Now, some towns are trying to pay some respect to the historical significance of Native Tribes. The Keeper of the Plains statue in Wichita is just one example. However, we don’t nearly do the multiple millennia of Native History justice.
Former journalist Beccy Tanner aimed to change that for her little community of St. John, Kansas. She realized the need for a common understanding of what Native Americans truly brought to the table. Tanner joined up with photographers, videographers, and local historians to create what is now known as the First People of Kansas. A documentary that showcases the Native American history of our land. The project follows a need that Tanner saw in the community. A need to showcase the history of our great state. With her career of covering Native Americans through journalism as well as teaching history courses at Wichita State University, she was well prepared to take on the project.
The project is aimed at creating a better understanding of differing Native American cultural ideas, as well as understanding our mutual interdependence upon everyone in our communities present and past. Not only that but knowing the history of the land that we live on is important. Everyone should learn stories of the tribes who were here before us, doing so gives us a sense of respect and responsibility for our land.
The town of St. John celebrated the completion of the documentary project on October 19th, 2024. They showed the film to the townspeople, invited Native American women to make fry bread and a Great Plains Native American archaeologist, Don Blakeslee, who provided artifact presentations for the people of the town. This movement and celebration is just one of the stories that I wish we had more of. A sharing of cultural understandings and historical knowledge that is quite frankly, invaluable. After all, it’s not every day that we learn about our Native American land ancestors.
Overall, it sure would be nice if we had a couple more examples to share like the community of St. John, Kansas. Learning about the history of the land that we all call home is not only an important pursuit but a rather noble one. Perhaps, one of you readers could take the first step in researching the Native American history of our state. There is much to be understood and much more that has not yet been uncovered. I for one, will be starting with trying to locate this documentary which has already been pushed to the public by many organizations like the “Partnership With Native Americans.” There’s always more to learn, and even more to understand about who we are as Kansan’s from memories of the land long ago.
