(l-r) President Wendy Wintersteen; Johnathon Buffalo, historic and cultural director for the Sac and Fox Tribes; and Leon Max Bear Jr., Meskwaki Tribal Council member, with the gifted sculpture and a painting of former tribal leader Pushetonequa. Photos by Wendy Witt, Meskwaki Media Services.
A replica casting of Christian Petersen's sculpture, Pushetonequa, will be permanently exhibited at the Meskwaki Cultural Center & Museum near Tama. President Wendy Wintersteen presented the sculpture to members of the Meskwaki Nation on July 11.
Sculpture replica presented July 11 to the Meswaki Nation.
Pushetonequa was tribal leader of the Sac and Fox Tribes in Iowa from 1882 to 1919. A replica of Petersen's bas relief sculpture was commissioned to celebrate the partnership between the Meskwaki Nation and Iowa State University Museums.
In 1929, the state's Historical, Memorial and Art Department commissioned Petersen, who later would serve as artist-in-residence and art instructor at Iowa State, to commemorate the Meskwaki chief wearing his traditional regalia. The sculpture shows Pushetonequa wearing a bear-claw necklace -- representing his status as leader -- a clamshell choker and what is believed to be a presidential peace medal.
Johnathon Buffalo, historic and cultural director for the Sac and Fox Tribes and a great-grandson of Pushetonequa, said the chief led the tribes through a time of political turmoil.
"He [Pushetonequa] did the best he could to lead us through a difficult time with faith, hope and prayer," Buffalo said. "Some tribes have not fully recovered from this period, but he led us through to be the tribe we are today."
Petersen's connections with the Meskwaki Nation continued for more than a decade. He also sculpted Pushetonequa's son, created the illustrations for a children's book, "Cha-Ki-Shi," about the Meskwaki people and drew inspiration from Meskwaki women when sculpting the four maidens for the Fountain of the Four Seasons on the Memorial Union north lawn.
The Meskwaki Nation has partnered with university museums to present exhibitions and educational opportunities dating back to 1976 and most recently, the "Artists in Iowa: The First Century" exhibition in 2019. The Pushetonequa replica honors this history and recognizes the 167 years since the Meskwaki settlement's founding and the 50th anniversary of university museums this year.
"It is our hope that this artwork honors our shared history of goodwill, collaboration and partnership," Wintersteen said. "We also hope it signals our desire to strengthen our mutual connections in education, culture and stewardship."
