Wednesday, March 31, 2004

In beautiful downtown Narragansett, RI, across the street from beaches of the open Bay, stands a tall, primitive wooden statue of an Indian’s head. Very totem pole like and raw, it seems out of place in a world of small bronze pieces and a heavy stone Indian mother. The other day I ran across an article about the dedication of a similar wooden Indian in Bethany Beach, Del. Curious, I hunted down the story of its sculptor. He was, indeed, the maker of the Narragansett piece- and scores more like them. Here is the fascinating story of a man and his work. His name is Peter “Wolf” Toth. He lives in FL, but he originally emigrated from Hungary after the 1956 Revolution. He was scarred by the events there and identified with people who have been forced from their land by larger forces. On coming to the US, he learned about the Native American history and in 1971, started a 20 year mission to create symbols of American Indians all over the US and Canada to “promote the unity of all peoples.” He’s also said  "My monuments are made to remind people of the contributions of the Indians of this country - statues to honor the plight of the native peoples of North America."  (Photo from the carvingworld..com website) His pieces, called “Whispering Giants” or the “Trail of Tears” series are in every state. Each one is chainsawed from a log or tree stump 20-40 ft high into the likeness of a tribal member of the region, using headdresses, etc. to differentiate them. When possible, he uses wood of the area to create them. He’s had no funding to do this, and donates the work to the area where he has created it. Some people have used the pieces as jumping off points for their own pilgrimages, as they can be found in Alaska (made of Sitka spruce) to Florida. Next stop? The first piece in Europe, along the Danube. And a coffee table book featuring his work. For more info, log on to www.carvingworld.com/editornews/newsletterJan04.htm 9:55:48 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2004 Patti Cassidy. Last update: 4/5/04; 11:16:15 AM.