Indian statue gone by winter

LACONIA — A huge wooden sculpture in Opechee Park, “Giant Indian – The Defiant One,” has deteriorated so badly that it must be removed before it topples over, city Parks and Recreation Director Kevin Dunleavy said.

The 36-foot, 12-ton red oak piece, now propped up from behind by a big wooden pole, depicts the face and headdress of a Native American man.

It was created 32 years ago Peter Wolf Toth.

Dunleavy said it’s questionable whether the sculpture could be repaired, even if there was the will and the money to do so. It’s also not clear if it can even be removed in one piece.

Dunleavy told the City Council on Monday that he will receive cost estimates for a company to uproot it with a crane and place it on a trailer until its final disposition is decided. The plan is to remove it before winter.

Councilor Henry Lipman cautioned Dunleavy that the sculpture should be treated right.

“I just don’t want it to be out of sight, out of mind,” he said. “It does have sentimental and emotional value to people of this city. Let’s make sure it gets the respect it deserves.”

Dunleavy said he’s heard differing opinions on its worth.

“I have an attachment to it,” he said. “I remember as a kid going over there and watching him carve it.”

Councilor Bob Hamel said he and the late Councilor Armand Bolduc once bored small holes into the wood. 

“There’s maybe 2 inches of very pulpy wood,” he said. “It’s like sawdust. There’s not a lot of meat in that whole thing. The base is pretty well gone. Tell you the truth, when they try to take it out, I’d be surprised if it survives. I guess we can try.”

More than a year ago, Dunleavy made a plea for public contributions to repair it. The city received $1,000, a fraction of the potential cost of repairs, if they are even possible.

A couple of exterior sections have fallen into disrepair, but the main problem is inside, where deterioration from rot and insects is causing the sculpture to lean back on interior supports. The city has put a fence behind the statue as a precaution to keep people away in case it should keel over. 

Toth, now 70, has volunteered to supervise repairs, which could include hollowing out the back, installing more interior supports and replacing rotten material with wood-colored fiberglass.

He has done similar sculptures in every state as part of his “Whispering Giants” series, and has had to make such repairs elsewhere.

Toth fled his native Hungary as a child. He has said he views his art work as a gift to America in return for the gift of freedom he received from this country. A sculpture he created in Hawaii in 1988 allowed him to complete his goal of placing one in each of the 50 states.

Dunleavy said Toth’s sculptures are deteriorating across the nation. Other cities have spent more than $5,000 just to have them removed.