DENVER – Colorado state museum officials began consulting with Native American tribes Tuesday after the museum closed an exhibit on the Sand Creek Indian massacre over complaints from descendants of the slaughter’s survivors that they weren’t consulted about the display.

State historic preservation officer Ed Nichols said it’s is a good first step repairing relations with tribes as the 150th anniversary of the massacre approaches Nov. 29.

Meanwhile, Gov. John Hickenlooper on Monday announced the appointment of members to the Sand Creek Massacre Commemoration Commission. The commission will be co-chaired by Hickenlooper and Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia, and include tribal, federal, state and local governments, historians, scholars, religious leaders and institutions of higher education to work out details of anniversary events.

Under an agreement announced, Colorado officials, History Colorado museum officials, the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana, the Northern Arapaho Tribe of Wyoming and the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma agreed to hold joint meetings to determine ways to educate the public about the Nov. 29, 1864, massacre and the history and culture of the Cheyenne and Arapaho people, while maintaining the cultural integrity of the exhibits.

Almost 150 years ago, a U.S. Army force led by Col. John M. Chivington swept into a sleeping Native American village in southeastern Colorado. Troops killed more than 160 Cheyenne and Arapaho, most of them women, children and the elderly. Officials at the time insisted the attack was to avenge Native American raids on white settlers and kidnappings of women and children.

Survivors’ descendants say the U.S. government had ordered their ancestors to stay at the camp at Sand Creek, 180 miles southeast of Denver, while talks were held on their future. During the attack, some victims’ bodies were mutilated; body parts were taken back to Denver where the soldiers were hailed as heroes.

“The history of the Sand Creek Massacre is one of profound local and national importance for the Cheyenne and Arapaho people and all of us as a society,” Nichols said. “We have worked with the Cheyenne and Arapaho people for many years and highly value our relationship,” he said.