Experts: More to statue’s depiction of Sacagawea than meets the eye

By Rachana Dixit

Published: July 7, 2008

Articles and historical documents dating from the early 20th century give a glimpse into the mind of Charles Keck, the celebrated New York sculptor, as he perceived and created the of-late controversial Lewis and Clark statue on West Main Street.

Several area residents have said the depiction of Sacagawea, the Shoshone Indian who guided the two explorers during their transcontinental expedition, is unfair and demeaning to Native Americans and women. In the statue, Sacagawea is crouching while the two men stand upright.

“Put Jefferson in that same position and everyone would object,” said Anthony Guy Lopez, a University of Virginia graduate student unhappy with Sacagawea’s portrayal.

But an article in Natural History magazine from 1919, the same year the statue was erected on West Main Street, says the artist represented Sacagawea “Bending forward, intent on the vast expanse of the ocean.”

More recently, 1996 nominating materials for the inclusion of the statue in the National Register of Historic Places said this of Sacagawea’s portrayal: “The sculptor has made her look down and seem interested in the immediate surroundings, for she is not aware of what is in the minds of the explorers.”

UVa history professor Christian McMillen said misunderstanding often occurs when examining historical events with a modern eye.

“If his intentions were one thing and that’s not evident to people in the 21st century, that’s such a common phenomenon,” said McMillen, who specializes in Native American history and the West. “We can’t understand the intent of everything in the past.”

Initially, Sacagawea was not in the plans. Keck decided later to add the Shoshone guide to the 18-foot statue after he had already begun the work. The nominating materials also noted that Lewis and Clark shield Sacagawea so she “does not compete with them in the composition.”

Paul Goodloe McIntire, who donated the statue to the city, wrote this about the statue after Sacagawea’s addition: “The statue is very greatly improved.”

But area resident Jennifer Tidwell said she thinks Sacagawea’s addition is purely superficial, a female object used only to physically beautify the statue.

“It’s like dressing up a car by putting a female model next to it,” she said.

This is not the first time community members have been indignant about Sacagawea’s depiction. A group of about 25 women protested the statue in 1997, and last October Tidwell organized a Columbus Day protest, saying the Indian guide was misrepresented.

Lopez also voiced some of the initial concerns. “She wasn’t given the same priority in her portrayal,” he said. “That’s part of that era of history, but we’re going to do better.”

Regardless of what Keck might have intended when sculpting the work, Tidwell said her feelings haven’t changed.

“If they were indeed at the edge of the Pacific, she would not be tracking, looking down,” she said.

To allay some concerns, last month the Charlottesville City Council approved erecting a plaque honoring Sacagawea’s historical importance.

Margaret O’Bryant, librarian for the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society, said she could see how people today would be disturbed by Sacagawea’s portrayal. But it isn’t the only way to look at the statue, she said.

“Given the time it was erected, it’s remarkable that she’s even in there,” O’Bryant said. She added that in the early 20th century, people were attuned to women’s rights — the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote was passed just one year after the statue was erected.

“It’s not the only way to see [the statue],” O’Bryant said.