MONTREAL/February 4, 2005—
The Emergence of the Chief, the first expression of north-eastern First Nations’ peoples by the acclaimed sculptor of Native American subjects, Dave McGary, will be installed on Concordia University’s Loyola Campus this fall. Commissioned by a group of benefactors, the bronze sculpture will mark the creation of a scholarship endowment fund for First Nations students and will celebrate the literal and metaphorical ties of First Nations communities to the University – past, present and future.
The unveiling of a smaller bronze masterwork of the sculpture will take place on Friday, February 4, at 5 p.m., in the atrium of the Richard J. Renaud Science Complex (7141 Sherbrooke St. West.). Several leaders and members of the Mohawk Nation will be in attendance at the unveiling.
“When the Richard J. Renaud Complex was inaugurated 18 months ago, we had asked members of the Mohawk Nation to perform a ceremonial blessing and tree planting on the Loyola campus at the inaugural event. We are honoured that they accepted”, says Frederick Lowy, Concordia’s President and Vice-Chancellor. “The ceremony was so deeply moving to those present that it sparked a lasting legacy, bringing together leaders in the Montreal and Kahnawake communities to work together to deepen the bond between aboriginal peoples and the university and create a scholarship endowment for First Nations students at Concordia.”
The sculpture honours the Iroquois Nation and particularly the peoples of Canada. It is most important to note that Member Nations of the Iroquois Confederation exist as matriarchal societies. In the sculpture, the standing clan mother instructs the seated chief in the responsibilities of his office. The chief is an elected official who speaks as a representative of his Nation and is said to hold the responsibility of office, not the power of office. The power to appoint the chief rests with the women of the Nation.
Slated for installation in the Fall of 2005, The Emergence of the Chief will figure prominently at one of the key intersections of the Loyola campus where historic and contemporary buildings symbolically meet. It will rest on a six-sided stone base with each side representing one of the five original nations of the Iroquois Confederacy together with one title panel. The tribes will be represented on the monument in English text, French text and the 5 respective Iroquois languages.
Concordia's Ties to the First Nations
About the Department of Art Education
- 30 -
Source :
Tanya Churchmuch
Senior Media Relations Advisor
Concordia University
