Mingo Indian, (sculpture).

Mingo Indian, (sculpture).

J. W. Fiske Iron Works, founder.

Mingo Indian, (sculpture).

Mingo Monument, (sculpture).

Dedicated Sept. or Oct. 1920.

Digital Reference:

Figure: bronze; Bow and arrow: steel; Base: granite.

Figure: approx. 5 ft. 6 in. x 19 in. x 19 in.; Base: approx. 12 ft. x 5 ft. 9 in. x 5 ft. 9 in.

(Stamped on plinth:) 26 28/J. W. Fisk Monument/New York (Base, west, front:) MINGO/This monument is erected/in memory of the passing of the "Red-/Man".an Indian village was located/near this place.according to local/tradition, it was frequented by the/Mingo tribe, and at one time was an/Iroquois outpost - Mingo in Iroquois meaning, "Foreign service." the Mingoes/are said to have been expelled by the/Iroquois for disloyalty. This village/was on the trail from the Lakes to/the South, but had been abandoned/prior to the comming of the "Pale Face."/From this tradition came the name of/the present village. the Magisterial/District and the adjacent stream -/Mingo Run.-Tal-gah-Jute-John Logan-/the Mingo Chief, is supposed to have/used this habitat. He was terrible/in war-fare, yet humane in peace/and was a factor in Colonial History./ERECTED BY/S.H.WOOD and other descendents/of the pioneers who located near this/"Indian Trail."/-1920- Founder's mark appears.

A standing male figure of a Mingo Indian, facing in a westerly direction, with the head turned to the proper left. His proper right arm is held straight at his side, and in his right hand he holds an arrow. His proper left arm is bent at a 90 degree angle and in his left hand he holds a bow slightly away from his chest. The lower end of the bow rests on the plinth beside his proper left foot. His proper right leg is straight and appears to carry his weight. His proper left leg is bent at the knee and the left foot rests on an elevated portion of the plinth. He wears a necklace with what appears to be animal claws or teeth attached. He wears a cape or blanket draped over both shoulders, gathered at the rear waist area and falling near the ground at the proper right foot.

The cape is held to his body by a strap over his proper left shoulder, and across his chest. Another strap around his waist holds another cloth which extend to the mid-thigh area in the front. He wears buckskin pants with fringe down the outer sides of each leg. He is barefoot and has long hair which falls below his shoulders. He has one long feather, held upright by a headband at the center of his forehead. On the plinth at his proper right foot is a tree stump which extends above the knee and is attached to his leg at the rear. The base is a tiered rectangular shape made of blocks of granite. The monument is surrounded by a split rail fence.

Ethnic -- Indian -- Mingo

Object -- Weapon -- Bow and Arrow

Dress -- Ethnic -- Indian Dress

Figure male -- Full length

Outdoor Sculpture -- West Virginia -- Mingo

Administered by Currence, Kenneth B., Mrs., Mingo Flats Road, Valley Head, West Virginia 26294

Located Mingo Flats Road, off Route 219, Mingo, West Virginia 26294

Formerly in the collection of Currence, Kenneth B.,

Purchased from Wood, Howard, 1969.

Kenneth B. Currence purchased this monument from Dr. Howard Wood in 1969. This piece is identical to a sculpture located in Williamson, WV (WV000105), except for the base. IAS files contain several unidentified articles; Cobb, W. H., "History of the Mingo Indians," Parsons, WV: McClain Printing Co., 1974, pg. 18-19 and Rice, Donald L., "A Bicentennial History of Randolph County, WV, 1787-1987," Randolph County Historical Society, pg. 5. The statue was erected, by residents of Randolph County, to commemorate the site of the last dwelling place of the Mingos before their removal beyond the Ohio River.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, West Virginia survey, 1992.

Cobb, W. H., "History of the Mingo Indians," Parsons, WV: McClain Printing Co., 1974, pg. 18-19.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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