Monumental Mobility

The Memory Work of Massasoit

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, Native American Studies, History, Americas, United States, Colonial Period (1600-1775), Native American
Cover of the book Monumental Mobility by Lisa Blee, Jean M. O'Brien, The University of North Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Lisa Blee, Jean M. O'Brien ISBN: 9781469648415
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: February 7, 2019
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: Lisa Blee, Jean M. O'Brien
ISBN: 9781469648415
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: February 7, 2019
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

Installed at Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1921 to commemorate the tercentenary of the landing of the Pilgrims, Cyrus Dallin's statue Massasoit was intended to memorialize the Pokanoket Massasoit (leader) as a welcoming diplomat and participant in the mythical first Thanksgiving. But after the statue's unveiling, Massasoit began to move and proliferate in ways one would not expect of generally stationary monuments tethered to place. The plaster model was donated to the artist's home state of Utah and prominently displayed in the state capitol; half a century later, it was caught up in a surprising case of fraud in the fine arts market. Versions of the statue now stand on Brigham Young University's campus; at an urban intersection in Kansas City, Missouri; and in countless homes around the world in the form of souvenir statuettes.

As Lisa Blee and Jean M. O'Brien show in this thought-provoking book, the surprising story of this monumental statue reveals much about the process of creating, commodifying, and reinforcing the historical memory of Indigenous people. Dallin's statue, set alongside the historical memory of the actual Massasoit and his mythic collaboration with the Pilgrims, shows otherwise hidden dimensions of American memorial culture: an elasticity of historical imagination, a tight-knit relationship between consumption and commemoration, and the twin impulses to sanitize and grapple with the meaning of settler-colonialism.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Installed at Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1921 to commemorate the tercentenary of the landing of the Pilgrims, Cyrus Dallin's statue Massasoit was intended to memorialize the Pokanoket Massasoit (leader) as a welcoming diplomat and participant in the mythical first Thanksgiving. But after the statue's unveiling, Massasoit began to move and proliferate in ways one would not expect of generally stationary monuments tethered to place. The plaster model was donated to the artist's home state of Utah and prominently displayed in the state capitol; half a century later, it was caught up in a surprising case of fraud in the fine arts market. Versions of the statue now stand on Brigham Young University's campus; at an urban intersection in Kansas City, Missouri; and in countless homes around the world in the form of souvenir statuettes.

As Lisa Blee and Jean M. O'Brien show in this thought-provoking book, the surprising story of this monumental statue reveals much about the process of creating, commodifying, and reinforcing the historical memory of Indigenous people. Dallin's statue, set alongside the historical memory of the actual Massasoit and his mythic collaboration with the Pilgrims, shows otherwise hidden dimensions of American memorial culture: an elasticity of historical imagination, a tight-knit relationship between consumption and commemoration, and the twin impulses to sanitize and grapple with the meaning of settler-colonialism.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book The Birth of a New Europe by Lisa Blee, Jean M. O'Brien
Cover of the book Muslim Networks from Hajj to Hip Hop by Lisa Blee, Jean M. O'Brien
Cover of the book The Road to Confrontation by Lisa Blee, Jean M. O'Brien
Cover of the book Before Jim Crow by Lisa Blee, Jean M. O'Brien
Cover of the book Grassroots Garveyism by Lisa Blee, Jean M. O'Brien
Cover of the book The Lesbian South by Lisa Blee, Jean M. O'Brien
Cover of the book If It Takes All Summer by Lisa Blee, Jean M. O'Brien
Cover of the book Why You Can't Teach United States History without American Indians by Lisa Blee, Jean M. O'Brien
Cover of the book Bittersweet Legacy by Lisa Blee, Jean M. O'Brien
Cover of the book The Color of Christ by Lisa Blee, Jean M. O'Brien
Cover of the book Framing Chief Leschi by Lisa Blee, Jean M. O'Brien
Cover of the book Lafayette in Two Worlds by Lisa Blee, Jean M. O'Brien
Cover of the book Poquosin by Lisa Blee, Jean M. O'Brien
Cover of the book Understanding Health Inequalities and Justice by Lisa Blee, Jean M. O'Brien
Cover of the book Henry Steele Commager by Lisa Blee, Jean M. O'Brien
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy