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Utah's most visible symbol of Thanksgiving is missing in action, at least temporarily. It's a statue that had a prominent spot on Capitol Hill for many years.
The statue is coming back soon to be re-installed, but an interesting argument has risen about whether that's a good idea.
You may remember the statue of an Indian chief that stood prominently at the top of State Street. It was removed during the long Capitol renovation project. Now the question is: Why honor a Massachusetts Indian in a state named after the Utes?
Chief Massasoit is temporarily cooling his heels in Lehi. In the next few weeks, the statue will be re-installed on a new base at the main east entrance to the Utah State Capitol.
"We wanted to make sure we had placed it in a significant and important location that was both good for the statue and good for the people," said David Hart, architect of the Capitol renovation.
But Utah Navajo Tom Lovell is not eager to see the statue come back. Chief Massasoit lived in Massachusetts, not Utah.
"It would be like having a picture of the governor of Massachusetts in the rotunda with the Utah governor. It doesn't make any sense. It would be like having a statue of the Pope on Temple Square," Lovell said.
He thinks the capitol should honor Utah Indians. "I mean, you could pick five of the different tribes, but the Ute tribe ought to be here," he said.
The statue was donated to the Capitol by its sculptor nearly a century ago. "I think it represents the Native Americans. I think it's a good symbol. It's a beautiful statue," Hart said.
Utah's director of Indian affairs says Chief Massasoit should be revered for his leadership at a historic event, the first Thanksgiving. "The Indian peoples brought as much food as the pilgrims did. It was truly a sharing event," Director Forrest Cuch said.
"He represents in many ways all of Native American culture and tribal identity," said Judith McConkie, curator of the State Capitol.
But all sides agree: Tom Lovell's concern about bringing the statue back should be taken seriously.
"It doesn't bother me at all. But I do think that there needs to be some dialogue between the state and Utah's Indian tribes." Cuch said.
"This is 2008, and a wrong needs to be corrected, and we need to do it right," Lovell said.
They all say they're willing to start a dialogue and find a way to honor Utah's five historic Indian tribes. But a big question is where the money would come from. They'd need private funds because the Capitol renovation budget is all used up.
E-mail: jhollenhorst@ksl.com
