Huron Cemetery - Current

Current

Scholars believe that there are more than 400 bodies, and possibly as many as 800, buried in Huron Indian Cemetery, though only a small number of the graves are marked. Burials were still being made in the late 20th century.

Over the years, there has been some vandalism in the cemetery. In 1991 the Kansas City government installed more than 70 new grave markers in consultation with the tribe and archaeologists, to replace some that had been put in during the 1970s. The Huron Indian Cemetery is open dawn to dusk. The grounds are attractive, but the cemetery needs additional funding to keep them up.

In 1994 the chief of the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma evaluated the Huron Park Cemetery as a possible location of a gaming casino. (Gaming has become a major revenue generator for Native American tribes.) Representatives of the Wyandot Nation of Kansas protested to their Congressional delegation, who responded with information from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). The BIA noted that no action could occur without substantial consultation with various agencies and, most importantly, consent from the lineal descendants of individuals interred at the Huron Park Cemetery, as required in the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990.

After more than 100 years of disagreement, finally in 1998 the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma and Wyandot Nation of Kansas signed an agreement to use the Huron Cemetery only for religious, cultural or other activities compatible with the sacred purpose of the site as a burial ground. In addition their agreement stated that the Oklahoma nation would not oppose the Wyandot Nation of Kansas' attempt to gain federal recognition. They are currently recognized by the state.