fbpx
 

On Saturday, pieces of what appeared to be a bronze statue were stolen from the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum and sold as scrap metal to a recycling company in Catoosa, Oklahoma. Prior to the exchange at the recycling center, the statue was cut into pieces.

“Our beloved Marjorie Tallchief statue was stolen, sawed from its base, cut into pieces and taken to a recycling center for around $250,” said the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum in a statement.

“Some pieces [of the Tallchief’s statue] are still missing,” Tulsa Historical Society and Museum’s Executive Director Michelle Place told Native News Online

Late last week, the Tulsa Historical Society reported that one of its Five Moons statues—the statue of Marjorie Tallchief—was stolen from its museum. The Five Moons statues were of Oklahoma’s most famous American Indian ballerinas: Yvonne Chouteau, Rosella Hightower, Moscelyne Larkin, Maria Tallchief, and Marjorie Tallchief. They all performed on international stages and stood as a symbol of Native American culture in dance.

Never miss Indian Country’s biggest stories and breaking news. Sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. 

“When these dancers began their careers, Europeans dominated ballet,” said the Tulsa Historical Society in a statement. “These women, due to their talent, dedication and determination, went to the top of their field and brought recognition to Oklahoma and Native American artistry. Each sculpture depicts the ballerinas in the ballet she considered to be her signature piece.”

scrapSevered pieces of Marjorie Tallchief's statue, displayed at the Tulsa Historical Society & Museum, were recovered at recycling center in Catoosa, Okla. days after the statue was reported as stolen. (Photo/Courtesy Tulsa Police Department)

“Marjorie’s statue didn’t have outward appendages like the others, and is easier to transport,” Place said when asked if Marjorie Tallchief’s statue was targeted. “Marjorie was also at the end of the statues, away from the street,” she added. It was also more cylinder-shaped, and more of a one-piece statue, she added, when compared to the other Five Moons.  

Place said the statue is insured and replacing it may be easier than she thought. She notified Gary Henson, the sculptor of Tallchief’s statue, of the theft. “He was devastated like the rest of us,” said Place. “That was one of the hardest phone calls I’ve ever had to make.” 

Henson, a Shawnee sculptor, told Place he could recreate Tallchief’s statue during his phone call with the museum’s executive director. The organization created a GoFundMe to raise $15,000, for the insurance deductible and to increase security for all five statues. 

CMC Recycling filed a police report with the Tulsa Police Department after they purchased the pieces.

Police then posted photos of the statue of Marjorie Tallchief with the caption “found” to its Facebook

Tulsa Police Department is actively seeking to apprehend the perpetrator(s) of the theft and sale of the statue. On Tuesday, Okla. Governor Kevin Stitt signed House Bill 1001, the Sgt. Craig Johnson Metal Theft Act, at the Oklahoma Capitol. The bill tightens laws related to the sale of scrap metal in the state.

More Stories Like This

Navajo Nation Mourns Loss of Former President Ben Shelly
Native American Church Chapter Sues Bank for Racial and Religious Discrimination
Legislature Moves to Name Highway after Blackfeet Chief
UP CLOSE: With Chuck Sams, First Native American to Lead the National Park Service
Native News Weekly (March 19, 2023): D.C. Briefs

12 years of Native News

This month, we celebrate our 12th year of delivering Native News to readers throughout Indian Country and beyond. For the past dozen years, we’ve covered the most important news stories that are usually overlooked by other media. From the protests at Standing Rock and the rise of the American Indian Movement (AIM), to the ongoing epidemic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous People (MMIP) and the past-due reckoning related to assimilation, cultural genocide and Indian Boarding Schools.

Our news is free for everyone to read, but it is not free to produce. That’s why we’re asking you to make a donation this month to help support our efforts. Any contribution — big or small — helps. If you’re in a position to do so, we ask you to consider making a recurring donation of $12 per month to help us remain a force for change in Indian Country and to tell the stories that are so often ignored, erased or overlooked.

Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous journalism. Thank you. 

About The Author
Author: Darren ThompsonEmail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Darren Thompson (Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe) is a staff reporter for Native News Online who is based in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. Thompson has reported on political unrest, tribal sovereignty, and Indigenous issues for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, Indian Country Today, Native News Online, Powwows.com and Unicorn Riot. He has contributed to the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Voice of America on various Indigenous issues in international conversation. He has a bachelor’s degree in Criminology & Law Studies from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.