ST. CHARLES (KMOX) - When this statue of explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark featuring Native American guide Sacagawea was taken down in Charlottesville, Virginia it was applauded by some. St. Charles, Missouri Mayor Dan Borgmeyer is campaigning for it to be put back on display in his town but is facing some dissenting comments.
Historians say the statue depicts Sacagawea tracking, but others say it looks like she's cowering beneath the white men. The Charlottesville City Council voted unanimously to remove the statue last month.
"It was a very offensive statue, and not only did it delineate me as a Native American, it delineated our women and their role in society," said Rose Abrahamson, a Native American woman, during a council meeting.
The city is giving other communities the opportunity to bid on acquiring the statue and Borgmeyer believes it deserves to be in St. Charles. It's not known how much it will cost to bring the statue here, but the city has a GoFundMe page with a goal of $50,000.
He says if they win the bid, a plaque will be added to the statue to highlight the contributions Sacagawea made during the historic expedition.
Related
"She was a companion through the whole thing. I believe she gave birth during the expedition," Borgmeyer says. "So she was an important player and we're going to use this statue to promote that as opposed to sticking it in a corner someplace because somebody thinks she's subservient."
As of Thursday, only 16 donations have come in totally less than $900.
The statue was taken down after one of Sacajawea's descendants complained that it showed her in a subservient role. Borgmeyer says another descendant is backing the effort to bring it to St. Charles.
"They reached out to us and said, 'Hey, we believe in this statue. She was my great, great, great grandma and we support the statue,'" Borgmeyer says. "They're giving us a letter of recommendation and support."
The St. Charles Government Facebook page has been sharing posts asking for donations on a daily basis. They say the statue should be moved here because it's the area Lewis and Clark left from to begin their expedition in 1804 and there's currently no statue of Sacagawea in St. Charles.
However, those posts have received a majority of negative comments.
"The other city removed it because of her position… so the only reason we need it is to show an indigenous person on the ground instead of standing tall?? No thank you," stated Joyce Dunlap.
"There are other statutes of this amazing woman that do not portray her in the semi-prostrate pose the one in VA does. This statute does not belong in Saint Charles, MO," wrote Edward Bryant.
© 2021 KMOX (Audacy). All rights reserved
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Follow KMOX
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram