And now:[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Native statue receives own spot Anishinabe Scout no longer to stand at Champlain's feet Graham Hughes The Ottawa Citizen http://www.ottawacitizen.com/national/991002/2941419.html The long-running feud between the Assembly of First Nations and the National Capital Commission over the statue of Samuel de Champlain on Nepean Point in Major's Hill Park is over. In 1996, the NCC promised to remove the figure of an Aboriginal guide crouched at the feet of the 17th century explorer, geographer and map-maker who founded Quebec City. The assembly and its then-national chief, Ovide Mercredi, had declared the pose demeaning to the people who had explored the Ottawa River many centuries before Europeans arrived in North America. In June 1996, during a first ministers' conference in Ottawa, Mr. Mercredi held a ceremony at Nepean Point to cover the statue with a blanket, and gave the NCC one year to remove it. Despite a promise to remove the life-size bronze and place it in storage, the scout remained at Champlain's feet until yesterday when it was moved to its own location. At the north end of Major's Hill Park, Phil Fontaine, national chief of the Assembly, NCC chairman Marcel Beaudry, and Martin MacCarthy, the great grandson of the sculptor, and others gathered on a site overlooking the Ottawa River, Parliament Hill and Nepean Point, the new site of the Anishinabe Scout statue. The statue of Champlain was unveiled in 1915 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Champlain's second trip on the Ottawa River. The scout was added in 1924. From the position of his hands, Mr. Beaudry said, it is evident the artist intended the scout to be seated in a canoe, however the monument's sponsors could not raise the money to finish the original design. "Sensitivities change over time," Mr. Beaudry noted and "the commission is sensitive to, and supportive of, the appropriate representation of the Aboriginal peoples." Mr. Fontaine paid tribute to Mr. MacCarthy and his family "for their understanding during the controversy." "Out of this controversy we have come up with something most reflective of the new spirit of co-operation between our peoples and the rest of Canadian society." Mr. Fontaine said the new site, with the scout looking up-river, is an excellent choice. This "magnificent" work of art "is a noble figure that reflects the strength of our community and our place in society. "Above all, it is no longer at the feet of one inaccurately portrayed as a founder of this land." In October 1966, members of the sculptor's family vowed to fight the NCC decision to remove the scout. They said they rejected the notion that the bronze statue belittled or degraded the first peoples of Canada. The general public also strongly opposed the move through phone calls and letters to the media and the NCC. In 1996, Martin MacCarthy, the sculptor's great-grandson said the family would feel a "sense of loss" if the statue were removed. Yesterday, however, he said "times change" and described the move as "a positive thing." Saying the statue now takes its rightful place in the capital, Mr. MacCarthy said "the new focus of the statue reflects the maturity of our nation and our openness and willingness to listen to different points of view. "I'm sure Hamilton MacCarthy would be pleased with the new orientation of his work of art." His great-grandfather, an Ottawa resident who died at the age of 93, has many works around the city, including the Boer War Memorial in Confederation Park on Elgin Street, the national monument to Alexander Mackenzie on Parliament Hill, the Imperial Coat of Arms crowning the main entrance to the Mint on Sussex Drive, and the lions adorning the post office on Sparks Street Mall. After the ceremony, Mr. MacCarthy said he'd been consulted on options for the statue's placement. One was to place him on a pedestal, he said "but I thought that he should be at ground level so tourists could continue to pose with him for pictures as they have done in the past." The move cost $6,000. This includes cleaning and polishing the statue, landscaping at the new site and new interpretive plaques at the Champlain statue and at the new site. In the 2001 edition of Street SmArt, the NCC guide to public art in the capital, the entry on the Champlain statue will be upgraded and enlarged to include information about the Anishinabe Scout, Mr. Beaudry said. Reprinted under the Fair Use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ UPDATES: CAMP JUSTICE http://shell.webbernet.net/~ishgooda/oglala/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
