Excerpts from the creative journal of Craig Bergsgaard written while researching “Memorare, Sand Creek 1864”
The site is in southwest Colorado, off the beaten path. You find the road 13 miles off a US highway, where the surface turns to gravel. At first, the road was well maintained, but with each cattle pass I crossed, the road got narrower. Weeds were creeping in from both sides and a few ominous storm clouds were gathering to the north enough changes in the vista to affect my mood. I’m not sure what I felt, perhaps melancholy, sorrow or even apprehension over what I was about to experience.
Memorare, Sand Creek 1864 by Craig Bergsgaard
The first thing I noticed is the palatable reverence of the site. I was greeted by Eunice, a woman of Native American descent. Eunice introduced me to the site director, Alden Miller. We visted Eunice and I visited the site together. Over the course of the tour, she and I engaged in a two-hour conversation that I will not soon forget.
After I shared with Eunice details of the in-progress sculpture, she explained that she would describe the battle from the Native American perspective, and leave the military perspective to others.
Eunice started by describing the “take no prisoners” political temperature of the time. She then showed me the directions of the three pronged attack and which way the inhabitants tried to flee. She covered the atrocities in depth, including a story of the women and children begging for mercy before being killed.
It was at some point, perhaps after she mentioned there were still a few “witness trees” left, that the conversation lightened. The camp site was lined with Cottonwood trees, which is nearly always the case. I have been asked a few times what it is like to view the world through artist’s eyes and when she asked I said I always see Cottonwood groves as very spiritual. I can almost see the communities of Native Americans camped along the creek beds that always accompany the trees.
Eunice explained that she was sure there was remnants of the battle embedded in the trees, but by the nature of the tree would now be enveloped. She tells of how the Cottonwood is spiritual to her; if we were to pin a penny to the tree and return years later the tree would have grown around the penny, totally enveloping it, thus making the Cottonwood very nurturing, forgiving and accepting all.
I cannot remember at what point we discussed my internal conflict as a veteran with using a disfigured American flag in the sculpture. Eunice had a simple, but powerful reply: “I would rather be hurt by the truth than hurt by a lie.” I knew right then that there would be a flag in this piece.
Prior to this meeting, I had not pondered why this particular event resonates with me, but the whole flag iconography made it clear. Cheyenne Chief Black Kettle simply wanted to live in peace, but the military disregarded this entirely. As I told Eunice, I can’t pretend that I can change the human condition, all I can do is tell the story.
~ Craig Bergsgaard, July 31, 2009