Not so far away from Mount Rushmore theres a currently under construction monument called Crazy Horse, which has been under construction since 1948, and is being built to honour Crazy Horse, a well known Lakota war leader.
Even some natives are kinda pissed about it, logic being that is doesn’t matter if it’s a white man or a native man carved into the mountain, you’re still defacing the natural beauty of the mountain
The twisted and complicated thing about this monument is that many Lakota members aren’t fond of its existence. Korczak Ziolkowski, the Polish artist who nearly single-handedly carved the monument, died before its completion. He was incredibly obsessive about the project.
However since his death, his (Polish) family has raked in millions every year in publicity in the name of Crazy Horse. They’ve turned down federal funds to finish the project multiple times. The monument and on-site museum has slowly become more about Ziolkowski’s story and life as an artist than about any tribe at all. Many tribal leaders who have spoken up about the project (even recently) see it as desecration of a site that is holy to them and their beliefs. So while the monument was originally contracted by Sitting Bear and didn’t violate any federal treaties (to my knowledge) like Mount Rushmore did, it’s still deeply problematic.
Looking at the Ziolkowski family’s tax returns reveals where their interests really lie. They are making a killing off a story and place that isn’t theirs.
hydrantwrench97 on September 8th, 2020 at 02:04 UTC »
Even some natives are kinda pissed about it, logic being that is doesn’t matter if it’s a white man or a native man carved into the mountain, you’re still defacing the natural beauty of the mountain
paper-not-plastic on September 8th, 2020 at 02:16 UTC »
The twisted and complicated thing about this monument is that many Lakota members aren’t fond of its existence. Korczak Ziolkowski, the Polish artist who nearly single-handedly carved the monument, died before its completion. He was incredibly obsessive about the project.
However since his death, his (Polish) family has raked in millions every year in publicity in the name of Crazy Horse. They’ve turned down federal funds to finish the project multiple times. The monument and on-site museum has slowly become more about Ziolkowski’s story and life as an artist than about any tribe at all. Many tribal leaders who have spoken up about the project (even recently) see it as desecration of a site that is holy to them and their beliefs. So while the monument was originally contracted by Sitting Bear and didn’t violate any federal treaties (to my knowledge) like Mount Rushmore did, it’s still deeply problematic.
Looking at the Ziolkowski family’s tax returns reveals where their interests really lie. They are making a killing off a story and place that isn’t theirs.
g2g079 on September 8th, 2020 at 04:35 UTC »
Here's what's it's supposed to look like upon completion.
I think they got their work cut out for them.