Keeper of the Plains

Instead of doing what we normally do on Saturdays (go to the zoo), we decided to expand our horizons and explore a piece of downtown Wichita - the Keeper of the Plains statute.

The 44-foot tall steel statue is described this way:

The Keeper of the Plains stands at the confluence of the Big and Little Arkansas rivers with hands raised in supplication to the Great Spirit. Since the sculpture's installation in 1974 to commemorate the United States Bicentennial, it has become a symbol for the city of Wichita and a tribute to the Native American tribes who continue to gather at this sacred site.

(source here)

We've seen many depictions of the statue in different parts of the city, as well as in the word "Wichita" itself in magazines, pamphlets, and posters. It really does seem to be Wichita's trademark/symbol.

Mid-morning, we loaded up the kids and found a parking spot by the Cowtown Museum. That's another one on our list. We didn't realize that the Women's March was going on in that area, but we found a way around the crowd and walked along the river to the monument.

 

Once there we found a couple of walls with descriptions of the Plains Indians' way of life. It described the weapons they used, the sacredness of eagles, why pipes are used and who used them, the women's role in the tribe, the symbolism of tipis, the importance of horses and buffalo, and so on. After we read about the Plains Indians, we walked down a short, winding path to the actual statue.

It was pretty cool to see it so close up. At night, the city of Wichita hosts what they call "Ring of Fire," where they light fire pots surrounding the Keeper of the Plains for 15 minutes. We haven't been to that yet, but we hope to see that long-standing tradition another day.

It was great being outside and walking around as a family, especially when all I needed was a light jacket to stay warm. :) I'm excited to keep exploring the city of Wichita and learning more about its history.