Thieves have destroyed a statue of a Native American ballerina and sold the broken parts to a recycling center in Oklahoma for about $250.
Last week, thieves chopped the statue of Marjorie Tallchief into pieces, prompting outcry among residents in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Tallchief was an American ballerina, primarily in the 1940s and 50s, and a member of the Osage Nation.
The sister of Maria Tallchief, considered the United States’s first major prima ballerina, Marjorie was the first Native American to be named the “première danseuse étoile” or the leading dancer by the Paris Opera Ballet.
The statue belonged to the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum and until last week, was perched outside the museum’s west lawn for 15 years. In an announcement made on Monday, the museum said that the statue “has been partially found, cut into pieces, at a recycling center. We are devastated but hopeful for apprehension and more answers to come.”
The museum urged the public to continue sending tips to the Tulsa police department, which is currently investigating the matter. In a separate GoFundMe page, museum officials have launched a $15,000 online fundraiser to cover the statue’s insurance deductible and costs for additional security for other statues outside the museum.
Tallchief’s statue is one of the museum’s “Five Moons” – bronze statues of five of Oklahoma’s renowned Native American ballerinas that include Yvonne Chouteau, Rosella Hightower, Moscelyne Larkin and Maria Tallchief.
The sculptures were designed by two local artists, Monte England and Gary Henson. England worked on two of the sculptures before he died in 2005. After England’s death, Henson took over and completed the remainder of the project.
When the statues were unveiled in 2019, Sharon Terry, who was then the director of the Tulsa Historical Society, said, “These women made such an extraordinary impact on history.”
“It’s been said many times before but it’s still just as true – the world of ballet was exclusively European until these five Indian women, all from small Oklahoma towns, came along. They truly made a place for Americans in the world of ballet,” she added.
Henson said that sculpting the statues allowed him the “opportunity to express my own appreciation for ballet. It’s a way of looking at the human condition. Here are these five American Indian women who are able to do amazing things – to move in ways that most of us can only dream about – and who were able to succeed once they got their chance.”
In an announcement released on Tuesday, the museum said that Henson had agreed to replace the statue without an existing mold.
“I can do this!” he said.
