Sculpture

A Phoenix rose from the ashes of "Captain Jack" when the Native American sculpture atop Endicott Rock was unveiled before an appreciative crowd of Native Americans, city officials and local residents at The Weirs Saturday. A gift to the city and state from the Weirs Action Committee (WAC), the statue fills the void left after vandals flung "Captain Jack" into the channel nearly a decade ago. But, more significantly, it is a work of art that honors the spirit and character of the native peoples and reflects the vision and pride of the Weirs community.

"It's been a long time coming for all of us," said Joe Driscoll, the first president of WAC, who was lauded by the City Council for his role in shepherding the project to a successful conclusion. Addressing the gathering, Chief Peter Newell of the New Hampshire Inter-Tribal Native American Council, which co-sponsored the project, remarked that the sculpture embodied the fruits of "learning to cooperate and live together."

The celebration, dedication and unveiling brought together different cultures and reached across several centuries. Native Americans opened the ceremony with the steady drumbeat and plaintive melody of the Micmac Honor Song. In his welcoming remarks, Driscoll recalled how, in the aftermath of bitter debate over secession from Laconia, residents of The Weirs came together in what he called "a group epiphany," mounting a campaign to "Bring Back Jack." After discovering that "Captain Jack" was beyond repair and replication, WAC commissioned Bob Morton of Ashland, Professor Emeritus of Fine Art at Plymouth State University, to sculpt a new statue.

Morton told how, at the urging of the New Hampshire Inter-Tribal Native American Council, he delved into native culture. "I still remember the woman who told that not all Native Americans have hooked noses," he quipped. Unlike "Captain Jack," originally fashioned to hawk Captain Jack Tobacco and purchased from a catalogue for $100, Morton set out to design a monument to replace a caricature. "I love it," exclaimed Newell, who dismissed its predecessor as a "lawn ornament."

When Newell's father Don, a tribal elder, cut the ribbon and stripped the veil, Morton's bronze stood tall and erect — proud, but not defiant, gazing across the lake from beneath a headdress made from the head and cape of a catamount. His left arm is veiled by the blanket he clutches to his chest while the right is extended with an open hand in a gesture seeming to exalt the beauty of the landscape without deigning to possess it.

Morton explained that the statue was not intended to depict a particular tribesman, but instead to represent all Native Americans who made their home in the region, though by facing eastward toward the rising sun it suggests the Abenaki, or "people of the dawn." Newell declared, "this is not a lawn ornament. This is actuality."

Among the guest were descendants of Captain Edward Johnson, who in 1652 was asked by Governor John Endicott to find the source of the Merrimack River and mark the northern boundary of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Led by native guides, Johnson and his three companions reached Lake Winnipesaukee at The Weirs where they inscribed a boulder with the name of the governor, their own initials and directional notations. Found in 1833, Endicott Rock was surrounded by a monument in 1892 and topped by a statue in 1901. Mark Johnson, "the eldest son of the eldest son" in direct descent from Captain Johnson, came from California for the ceremonies.

"A sculpture belongs to everyone in the community," Morton noted. "It becomes part of your lives. I hope this sculpture functions that way."

On behalf of the state First District Executive Councilor Ray Burton thanked all those who contributed to the project, declaring that "history will record this day as one of the touchstone marks for this region."

Likewise, Mayor Mark Fraser applauded WAC for its initiative, passion and perseverance in making "this generous gift to our community."

Of all those who contributed to the occasion, only the person who toppled "Captain Jack" went without recognition or thanks.