Muscogee citizens allege that they were not consulted about the statue of Chief Tomochichi, which depicts him as nearly naked and was called “incredibly inappropriate” according to the Associated Press. Because of this, Councilman Michael Julian Bond revealed that the city is reconsidering its placement.
The statue would have been placed next to those depicting civil rights activists and heroes, including the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. However, some Muscogee citizens say that Tomochichi helped British General James Oglethorpe colonize the Americas in 1733 and that he maintained a promise to assist the British in capturing runaway African slaves, the AP added. Today, those citizens consider him a traitor who helped initiate ethnic cleansing.
Some Muscogee citizens are also taking issue with the statue’s developer, National Monuments Foundation board member Rodney Mims Cook Jr., who allegedly did not consult them for the project, according to the AP.
“Is he [Cook] looking for the whole truth here? The fact that he [Tomochichi] was a slaver and ran slaves up to the colonies? That’s what the historical documents say,” Muscogee Nation member Turner Hunt was quoted by the AP.
“I don’t believe the city wants to be in a position where we are offending the Muscogee people, but we don’t own the statue now,” Bond told the AP. “We have not accepted the statue, which is being donated to us, as yet.”
Bond also expressed frustration that the state’s school curriculum, which requires teaching about Tomochichi’s “positive citizenship traits,” did not include a fuller picture of the complexities in the state’s history, the AP added.
“This is an opportunity for a greater lesson for all of us. Because what I learned about Tomochichi in school was very positive,” Bond was quoted by the AP. “But, you know, facts are stubborn things. Because when we are confronted with all of the facts of his life, although the Foundation has made the investment in this statue, it probably is time to reconsider it.”
Despite the setback, Bond hopes that the park will still feature a positive and accurate representation of the Muscogee Nation.
“There still should be an accurate and appropriate representation of the Muscogee people in this park,” he told the AP. “I think that gives us an impetus to make sure we have the right representation and we tell the real history of these people, that they are accurately reflected in the park, with their input.”
Update 02/11/2022 at 12:50 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to quotes from Turner Hunt and more statements from Michael Julian Bond.
