19th century statue should not be in 21st century park
There's a
relatively new community group in the Near South area, the Prairie District
Neighborhood Alliance (PDNA), and we welcome them. The more people are
active in their communities, the better it is for those communities. When
organized people are paying attention, it is harder for government or
private business to do something in a community that the people do not want.
PDNA already has taken important action by looking into the X/O luxury highrise development at 1700 S. Prairie Ave., which will tower over the Prairie Avenue Historic District. They may not be able to stop it, but they are likely to exact some concessions from the developer that will benefit the community.
We have to disagree with the PDNA, however, in their efforts to return a statue, The Fort Dearborn Massacre: Black Partrdige Saving Mrs. Helm, to 18th Street and Calumet Avenue. Railroad tycoon George Pullman (not the most culturally sensitive individual himself) put it at that location in the 19th century, and it is piece of art definitely of its time.
The statue, as Brian Hosmer, director of the D'Arcy McNickel Center for American Indian History, said, "re-confirms the stereotype of the savage Indian." It shows barely clothed Native Americans trying to kill a defenseless settler, Margaret Heim, and spearing another settler who already is on the ground. Black Partridge, a Native American chief, is attempting to save Heim.
As Governor Jim Thompson said about old Comiskey Park, "Just because something is old doesn't mean it should be saved." The statue is a horrible piece of 19th century art that depicts whites' conception of Native Americans at their worst. Yes, there was a battle near the 18th and Calumet site between Native Americans and settlers. Who was in the right and who was in the wrong depends upon your reading of history, and history is rarely as simple as the 19th century's view of it.
Only recently, the University of Illinois dropped Chief Illiniwek as a symbol because it was offensive to some Native Americans, and teams around the country that have used Indian names or mascots are doing the same. It's not "political correctness," as some say¾it's common courtesy that shows an understanding of ethnic sensitivities and different points of view.
It also would be a common courtesy not to have this statue out on the street. Much as throughout the South municipalities have quietly retired monuments that touted the "glory" days of slavery, this statue has quietly been retired for many years and should stay that way. It is more appropriate for a venue like the Chicago History Museum, where it could be explained, by historians, in context. Out on the street, it would be a target for vandals who do not like its 19th century message, just as the old statue of the Haymarket policeman was when it was out on the street for many years. That statue finally was moved to an indoor venue, as this one should be.
The PDNA wants to name the park there for Black Partridge, and even American Indian Center Executive Director Joseph Podlasek supports that, although Black Partridge himself is a polarizing figure. Should he have helped the settlers or his own people? Views differ on that as well. The Chicago Park District wants to name the park for Chicago poet Harriet Monroe, citing the need for more parks named for women.
Either name would be adequate, but we would like to suggest a third alternative.
The late Ingrid Washinawok was a modern day Menominee Indian who lived from 1957 to 1999. She grew up in Chicago near West Town and as an adult became an internationally known humanitarian who worked for indigenous people's rights, indigenous women's issues, indigenous people's sovereignty, and human rights throughout the world.
Washinawok was executive director of the Fund for the Four Directions, which provided grants to revitalize indigenous languages and cultures, and at various times was Indian of the Year, a Frederick Douglass Award recipient, a founding member of the Native American Council, co-chair of the Indigenous Women's Network, and International Women's Leadership Award recipient.
Visiting Colombia in 1999 as part of an international delegation to assist the U'wa people there, Washinawok and her compatriots were kidnapped and murdered.
There is nothing controversial about the late Ingrid Washinawok: she was a true Chicagoan, a true international hero, and a modern figure to whom young people can relate and of whom all can be proud of. Her story can inspire people to make a difference of their own. The $150,000 it would take to restore Pullman's old statue could be even better spent creating a new artwork by a modern artist to commemorate Washinawok's positive contributions to the city and the world.
