photo by: City of Lawrence screenshot

Iⁿ’zhúje’waxóbe, the 28-ton red quartzite boulder sacred to the Kaw Nation, is lowered to the ground at its new home in Council Grove.

The 28-ton red quartzite boulder sacred to the Kaw Nation that sat in Lawrence for nearly a century as a monument to white settlers has finally been installed at its new home in Council Grove.

On Tuesday, Jay Johnson — professor of geography and atmospheric science and director of the Center for Indigenous Research, Science and Technology at the University of Kansas — gave the Lawrence City Commission its first brief update on the return of Iⁿ’zhúje’waxóbe since the prayer rock was moved from Robinson Park last August.

Johnson said the prayer rock had sat in storage in the months since then so a new site could be prepared at Allegawaho Heritage Memorial Park, which is located in Council Grove and owned by the Kaw Nation. Iⁿ’zhúje’waxóbe — which is pronounced “EE(n) ZHOO-jay wah-HO-bay” and literally means “sacred red rock” — was moved to the park March 20.

“The rest of the construction project that is planned for Allegawaho Park is in progress, and soon we will be sending out save the date announcements for June 22, when we’ll have a dedication ceremony of the rock in its new location (in Council Grove),” Johnson told commissioners.

Johnson said here in Lawrence, the team that’s been working on the project is still trying to gather feedback about what will be done with the now-flat space at Robinson Park where Iⁿ’zhúje’waxóbe previously sat. He said the team will host a “re-envisioning” workshop at the park Sunday, April 21 at 3 p.m., followed by a discussion at the nearby Lawrence Public Library from 4 to 5:30 p.m.