Haaland: US expanding Native American massacre site
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has announced an expansion of a National Park Service historical site dedicated to the massacre by U.S. troops of more than 200 Native Americans in what is now southeastern Colorado
DENVER (AP) — Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced an expansion Wednesday of a National Park Service historical site dedicated to t he massacre by U.S. troops of more than 200 Native Americans in what is now southeastern Colorado.
Haaland, the first Native American to lead a U.S. Cabinet agency, made the announcement during a solemn ceremony at the Sand Creek Massacre National Historical Site about 170 miles (272 kilometers) southeast of Denver to honor the dead, survivors and their descendants.
The move marked the latest step taken by Haaland to act on issues important to Native Americans in her role as Interior Secretary.
Haaland’s selection to lead the federal agency that has wielded influence over the nation’s tribes for nearly two centuries was hailed as historic by Democrats and tribal groups who said it meant that Indigenous people — who lived in North America before the United States was created — would for the first time see a Native American lead the powerful department where decisions on relations with the nearly 600 federally recognized tribes are made.
