Waokiye Misc Documents 2008-2009

Alabama

Dotham

Mississippi

Ocean Springs

Alaska

Valdez

Missouri

St. Louis (gone)

Arizona

Winslow

Montana

Red Lodge

Arkansas

Little Rock

Nebraska

Lincoln (damaged)

California

Desert Hot Springs

Nevada

Reno

LaJolla (weathered away)

New Hampshire

Laconia

Colorado

Loveland

New Jersey

Atlantic City (gone)

Connecticut

Groton (in storage)

New Mexico

Las Cruces

Delaware

Bethany Beach

New York

Dunkirk

Florida

Deland (gone)

North Carolina

Cherokee

Fort Lauderdale

North Dakota

Mandan

Punta Gorda

Ohio

Akron

Georgia

Colquitt

Oklahoma

Broken Bow

Hawaii

Haleiwa, Oahu

Oregon

Astoria

Idaho

Idaho Falls

Illinois

S of Utica

Hillsboro Pennsylvania

Hopewell

Sharon Williamsport

Ottawa

Rhode Island

Narragansett

Indiana

Fort Wayne (gone)

South Carolina

Charleston

Iowa

Iowa Falls

South Dakota

Aberdeen (in storage)

Osceola (gone)

Tennessee

Cleveland

Kansas

Troy

Kentucky

Paducah

Texas

Texarkana (gone)

Louisiana

New Orleans (in storage)

Utah

Murray

Maine

Bar Harbor

Vermont

Burlington

Maryland

Ocean City (not original)

Virginia

Virginia Beach

Massachusetts

Plymouth

Washington

Vancouver

SpringďŹ eld

West Virginia

Wheeling (gone)

Lansing

Wisconsin

Hayward

WakeďŹ eld

Wyoming

Worland

Michigan Minnesota

Two Harbors

Johnson City

Photo ©2006 Jeryd Pojawa

Waokiye, the Helper

“W

aokiye,” meaning “Traditional Helper” in Lakota, was built in 1978 by Hungarian-born sculptor Peter “Wolf” Toth.

It was the 26th (or 27th, accounts vary) in the “Whispering Giants” series. During a 21-year period (1971-1992) Toth carved 67 giant Native American heads; at least one in each of the 50 states plus several in Canada. The first giant, which he began at the age of 24, was carved from the cliff at Wind and Sea Beach in La Jolla, California. All of the subsequent colossi have been made from giant logs.

Born in 1947, Toth (rhymes with “oath”) was one of eleven children. His family fled from Hungary during the 1956 uprising. They lived in refugee camps for two years before emigrating to the United States and settling in Akron, Ohio. Learning about Native American culture, he empathized with the tribes’ situation and saw a parallel to the violent repression he had experienced in Hungary. Expanding on his desire to highlight the struggle of American Indians for justice and recognition of their human rights, the statues represent all humanity and stand against injustice to all people. He has been adopted into several tribes as the result of his mission.

Toth, later joined by his wife Kathy, traveled the US in a Dodge van, spending summers in the north and winters in the south, and “stopping wherever local officials would allow or invite him to carve one of his ‘Whispering Giants.’” He did not accept money for his work and lived on donations, sales of small carvings and sales of his self-published book.

Herb Miller, a Desert Hot Springs resident, approached the 28-year-old Toth about creating a monument in DHS during the summer of 1977. They were in Hayward, Wisconsin where Miller was vacationing and Toth was creating his 25th head. The city council of DHS approved the project and pledged $2,000 to its completion.

Cole Eyraud, vice-mayor and curator of Cabot’s Pueblo Museum, saw the similarity in Toth’s tribute to the American Indian with that of Cabot Yerxa’s and offered a site on the museum’s campus. Peter and Kathy Toth lived at the pueblo off and on for nearly six months, while he worked on what would be his largest sculpture to date.

At least part of the local enthusiasm for the project was generated by the promise of tourism, a vital part of DHS’s economy. Much of the expense was borne by donations from the community and approximately 60-70 people a day came to watch Toth work. Every step of the process was documented by Desert Hot Spring’s local newspaper, the Desert Sentinel.

A 45-ton giant Sequoia redwood log was donated through the efforts of Gene Bach, Eastern Division Chief of the Riverside County Fire Department and Lewis

Moran, head forest ranger for the state Division of Forestry. The 750-year-old tree, which was almost 200 feet tall, was originally from the Sequoia National Forest near Porterville. It had been struck by lightning in the mid-1950s. Moving the log that had been earmarked for the sculpture, a segment 10 by 20 feet and weighing 40,000 pounds, from central California was no easy task. Bad weather delayed the arrival of the log until the end of February 1978.

Although usually inspired by local Indian tribes and local trees to create his sculptures, Toth was moved by Yerxa’s childhood in the Dakota Territories as well as his collection on Native American artifacts to create Waokiye. The sequoia log was also an unusual factor in his creative process, so the finished sculpture became a composite of inspirations. Toth used power tools for the rough finishing, and then set to work with a #5 chisel and a hammer.

The pedestal is 5 feet tall, extends 4 feet into the earth and is made of 2,000 pounds of steel and 33 yards of cement. Local rocks decorate the outside surface.

As reported in the Sentinel “Originally, it was thought a military helicopter would be used to lift the Indian in place on the pedestal but the project proved too big.

So W. Curtwright Crane Service of Indio was called to do the job. Expertly, they fitted a sling around the Indian’s headband and in one try, maneuvered it onto the pedestal. Then the smaller feather was lifted to the top of the monument, guided into place by Toth and Councilman Cole Eyraud, museum curator.”

The finished face is 22 feet high, eight feet in diameter and weighs 20 tons. The feather is made from an Incense Cedar from Idyllwild, it is 15 feet tall, four feet with and one-and –a-half feet thick. The project was sponsored by Landmark Conservators (Eyraud’s management company for Cabot’s Pueblo Museum), the Desert Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce and the California State Department of Forestry.

The monument was dedicated on May 20, at 11 a.m. with approximately 250 people in attendance. Dennis Banks, educator and founder of the American Indian Movement was the guest speaker, Carl Ecklund, San Diego police chief, was the master of ceremonies, Carl May, mayor of Desert Hot Springs, and members of both the city council and Desert Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce were on hand for the event hosted by the ladies of the Desert League for Arthritic Handicapped Children and Adults.

According to the Sentinel, Banks stated “This is the first time in my life I have seen anything so great, so tall, so beautiful… I have a great deal of admiration for this man [Toth] and an even greater admiration for the City of Desert Hot Springs for undertaking this project. Benjamin Franklin noted at an early age the American people would devise ways to keep Indian lore. There are 1,000 towns and 32 states whose names have Indian meanings,” he said in a short speech, noting that Native American culture is very much alive in America.

“Woodcarver Peter Toth was equally brief and to the point. ‘The American Indian

is a proud and often misunderstood people. They have suffered atrocities ever since the first white man landed on this shore. Even as a young boy I had admiration for my Indian brothers and perhaps this monument and all the others… will bring awareness of a proud and great people.’”

DHS mayor Carl May asked Ann Mason, city clerk, to read a proclamation he had issued for the occasion “A magnificent redwood monument has been created by sculptor Peter Toth to pay tribute to, and preserve a memory, that has too often been distorted or destroyed. The City of Desert Hot Springs is indeed fortunate to be the city in the 26th state in which an everlasting tribute to preserve an Indian culture has been dedicated. In order to further bind the strong ties between the City of Desert Hot Springs, and its Indian friends I, Carl May, mayor of the City of Desert Hot Springs, do hereby proclaim May 20 to be Indian Memorial Day in Desert Hot Springs.”

“Those of us in Desert Hot Springs, Riverside County and the State of California are especially grateful to Peter Toth for his gift, said Cole Eyraud. “His silent monument will stand like the mighty redwood it is for a thousand years to come, a gentle reminder to all, and an opportunity for a quiet prayer of peace and goodwill for all mankind.”

Peter Toth lives in Florida; he completed the fifty states in May 1988 with his 58th statue of a Polynesian in Haleiwa, Hawaii. Other giants may be found in Canada.

Some of his Whispering Giants are listed in the Smithsonian’s art inventories catalog and some people “collect” them as travel destinations.

Smithsonian Institute Art Inventories: http://siris-artinventories.si.edu/#focus Type “Toth, Peter” into the search field.

News Clippings: Peter Toth made headlines in Desert Hot Springs in the winter of 1977-78. Hosting a celebrity artist was something that the whole town was proud of and nearly every step of the process in creating Waokiye was considered worthy of comment.

Works Cited “DHS Location for Unique Tribute.” The Desert Sentinel 22 Dec. 1977: 1.

Huff, Doug. “Inspectors.” The Desert Sentinel 23 Feb. 1978: 1.

“Indian Leader Keynotes Dedication of Monument.” The Desert Sentinel 25 May 1978, sec. A: 1+.

“Indian Monument to Be Dedicated This Saturday.” The Desert Sentinel 18 May 1978: 1.

“Just Starting.” The Desert Sentinel 12 Jan. 1978: 1.

“Pueblo Indian is Stoically Hoisted Onto His Pedestal.” The Desert Sentinel 27 Apr. 1978, sec. A: 1+.

Trump, Elwin. “Blazing an Artistic Trail: The ‘Trail of the Whispering Giants’ Chronicles a Remarkable Journey.” Wymore, Nebraska.

The Gorilla Glue Company 4550 Red Bank Expressway Cincinnati, OH 45227 ATTN: Donations/Sponsorship Requests

Dear Ms. Lampkin, Cabot’s Pueblo Museum is a non-profit 501 C3 organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of Cabot Yerxa, one of Desert Hot Springs early pioneers and the discoverer of the thermal wells for which our city is known. His house was modeled after the pueblos of the Hopi Indians and was made entirely from recycled materials.

In 1976, Hungarian-born artist Peter “Wolf” Toth created his 27th Whispering Giant on the campus of our museum. It is the largest of the series, (43 feet tall) which now includes 70 colossal Native American heads in all 50 states and Canada. These sculptures comprise a series known collectively as the "Trail of the Whispering Giants." Fans travel the country "collecting" statues, which stand as a tribute to America's tribal people. Toth accepted no money for his gift to his adopted country and was supported entirely by the communities that invited him to create these monumental heads during this 21-year period (1971-1992).

“Our” Whispering Giant, called “Waokiye,” meaning “Traditional Helper” in the Lakota language, needs some help too. The 750-year-old sequoia log has sustained much weathering over the last 30 years (The tree itself was struck by lightening in the 1950s and was not felled to create the statue). “Wolf” Toth has agreed to come and do some much needed repair that will involve a metal armature and a whole lot of Gorilla Glue, a product he unreservedly endorses. Even with the donation of his labor, our small non-profit will incur a lot of expenses and we are soliciting contributions of product and sponsorship. Any contribution would be much appreciated – this is a very worthy project and will also generate international exposure. Mr. Toth recently returned from visiting Hungary, where he has more projects planned.

Map of “The Trail of the Whispering Giants” http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=107348785646573726339.000453306d ab0e2d89264&ll=41.376809,-113.203125&spn=56.749272,76.113281&z=3 Descriptions of select statues in the Smithsonian archives - http://sirisartinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=121763SJ4T822.1551&profile=ariall&uri=link=310 0006~!209292~!3100001~!3100002&aspect=Browse&menu=search&ri=2&source=~!siartinven tories&term=Toth%2C+Peter%2C+1947-+%2C+sculptor.&index=#focus Waymarkers love to visit the Giants - http://www.waymarking.com/cat/details.aspx?f=1&guid=8fbd270d3a97-42ab-8631-b73cf6c32335&wo=True&sg=56bdf13c-28aa-49aa-89bf-14fb69a3a46d And Flickr photosharing has a couple of categories for “collectors” http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Peter%20Toth&w=all Sincerely Yours,

Jane Pojawa, archivist / historian

Cabot’s Museum Foundation