CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Driving by the corner of Capitol Avenue and 19th Street, one can catch a glimpse of the legendary 19th century Eastern Shoshone leader Chief Washakie.
Washakie, memorialized in a two-foot-tall bronze statue, holds a peace pipe in his hands and looks out thoughtfully into the downtown Cheyenne landscape.
Known for his peaceful diplomacy skills, Washakie played a prominent role in securing the Wind River Reservation as the homeland of the Eastern Shoshones. He also had strong ties with the Episcopal Church in Wyoming and Rev. John Roberts, a well-known missionary at the time who worked with the Shoshone and Arapaho people.
To honor his legacy, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church held a dedication and blessing ceremony for the statue Friday morning.
Dozens of community members and leaders showed up at the church, which is located near the bronze Washakie, to learn more about the sculpture and beloved chief.
Sculpture Inspiration
Sponsored by St. Mark’s and created by Cheyenne-based Native American artist Guadalupe Barajas, the statue was installed in 2022 as part of the city’s Capitol Avenue Bronze Project.
Barajas said he created a statue of Washakie, titled “Winds of Change,” years ago for his personal art collection.
“I chose that title because when researching his life, I envisioned him contemplating changes to save his people,” he told dedication attendees.
When Barajas was chosen to create the Capitol Avenue statue, Rev. Rick Veit from St. Mark’s Church showed him a photo of Washakie holding a peace pipe.
The two felt the photo exemplified the chief’s “true essence,” and Barajas wanted the statue to feature the pipe along with Washakie’s contemplative expression in “Winds of Change.”
“Just like ‘Winds of Change’ I made a sincere effort to capture the true likeliness of Washakie,” he said.
Family History
During the dedication, two of Washakie’s descendants also spoke about the importance of remembering their lineage.
Zedora Enis, Washakie’s great-granddaughter, reminisced about the stories her grandmother would tell about the chief, who was affectionally referred to as “the old man.”
Washakie maintained a friendly relationship with white settlers, helping the Shoshone tribe to maintain their independence and cultural heritage, she said.
“He looked out for everyone, he was a friend to the white man and he already knew … we needed to be peaceful,” she said during the dedication. “He could see things down the road, my grandmother told me.”
On his deathbed in 1900, Enis said Washakie encouraged his descendants to “read that paper and know that paper that the white man signed.”
“He was talking about education,” she said.
Washakie knew getting an education was the only way the tribe could maintain their hunting lands and preserve their culture, Enis said.
Rev. Roxanne Friday, an Episcopal priest for the Wind River Indian Reservation, is the great-great-granddaughter of Washakie’s sister, Mary.
Friday said it is important for her to listen to Enis’s stories and pass them on to future generations.
“I could sit with Zedora all day long if I could and listen,” she said during the reception. “[The stories of Washakie] are what we have left. We want to tell those stories to make sure they do not fade away … and so our descendants will know where we came from.”
After their speeches, attendees went outside and gathered around the statue for the cedaring ceremony.
The traditional Native American ritual, which involves burning cedar wood, is done to bless and honor a space.
“I’m just happy that we’re here and honoring Chief Washakie,” Friday said. “[We’re] finding out all the things he did to make sure … we would be standing here today.”
