top of page
Search

In Defense of Our Ancestors: Lyda Burton Conley

  • Writer: Shereá Denise
    Shereá Denise
  • Jun 27
  • 3 min read

Eliza “Lyda” Burton Conley is a historical figure I first learned about through social media. Discovering that an American Indian woman had argued before the U.S. Supreme Court was mindblowing — not just because her story was absent from my undergraduate and law school education, but also because it challenged the widespread belief that the fight to protect American Indian burial grounds is a recent one. Learning about Lyda Conley illuminated how this struggle has deep roots, stretching back to at least the early 1900s, if not earlier. Her legacy also brought to mind the environmental justice arguments raised during the Standing Rock Sioux’s protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, underscoring how interconnected these movements are across time.


I experienced a full-circle moment when I learned that Lyda Conley was ultimately buried in the very cemetery she fought to protect. That fact spoke deeply to me, bringing to mind two powerful truths: (1) we are often engaged in battles whose victories we may not live to witness, and (2) the sacred spaces and histories we defend for our ancestors must, in turn, be defended for us by future generations. We can only hope that those who come after us will recognize our value, honor our efforts, and defend us accordingly.


Eliza “Lyda” Burton Conley (circa 1868–1946) was a groundbreaking Wyandot (also spelled Wyandotte) Native American lawyer, best known for her fierce and historic defense of Indigenous land and burial rights. Born in Wyandotte County, Kansas, to Elizabeth Burton Zane Conley (a member of the Wyandot Nation) and Andrew Conley (of English descent), she was the youngest of four daughters. Despite the challenges of her time, Lyda and her sisters rowed across the Missouri River daily to attend Park College in Missouri. She later graduated from the Kansas City School of Law in 1902, one of just four women in her class, becoming the first woman admitted to the Missouri bar and later joining the Kansas bar in 1910.


Lyda Conley rose to national attention when she took a stand to protect the Huron Indian Cemetery in Kansas City, Kansas, where her mother and ancestors were buried. In 1906, the U.S. government authorized the sale of the cemetery, prompting Lyda and her sisters—especially Helena and Ida—to build a small structure at the cemetery entrance, which they named “Fort Conley.” Armed and defiant, they guarded the sacred ground day and night, refusing to let the graves be disturbed. When legal routes failed, Lyda took her fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1910, becoming the first Native American woman—and only the third woman ever—to argue before the Court. Although the Court ultimately ruled against her, her public advocacy drew the attention of political leaders, including Senator Charles Curtis (later Vice President), who introduced legislation that protected the cemetery from sale.


Through years of arrests, court battles, and physical defense of the land, Lyda remained committed to preserving her people's heritage. Her efforts culminated in the eventual passage of federal legislation that permanently protected the cemetery as federal property. She continued to care for the burial ground until her death in 1946, when she was tragically killed during a robbery. She was buried in the cemetery she had spent decades defending. In the years since her death, the Huron Indian Cemetery has been recognized for its historical significance, earning a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 and designation as a National Historic Landmark in 2016. Eliza “Lyda” Conley’s legacy lives on as a powerful symbol of Indigenous resilience, legal pioneering, and the unbreakable bond between land, ancestry, and identity.


Sources (History & Pictures)


Recent news about American Indian burial grounds:

 
 

©2019 by ThisWomansWords. Proudly created with Wix.com.

bottom of page