For Immediate
Release: May 19, 2004
(Pictured L-R) Sen. Charles Ford, Jessica Moore, Artist
Mike Wimmer and Principal Chief Jim Gray
Painting of Osage Woman Dedicated
Senator Charles Ford announced the dedication
of another original painting commissioned by the Oklahoma
State Senate Historical Preservation Fund, Inc. The painting,
titled “Mahongo” by nationally renowned artist
Mike Wimmer of Norman, was unveiled during a ceremony in
the Senate Chamber this afternoon.
Mahongo was an Osage woman at the Chouteau camp on the Neosho
River in Indian Territory, who was among a group taken to
Europe under false pretenses. In 1827, a French adventurer,
David Dulauney, falsely assumed the role of U.S. representative
and persuaded a group of Osages to accompany him to Washington
to meet the President. Instead they were taken to Europe
where they were forced to perform native dances in a Wild
West show that traveled throughout the continent.
The Osage dancers were very popular and were presented to
and performed for the royal court of Charles X of France,
the event portrayed in the painting. Unfortunately they
were eventually abandoned in Paris and wandered homeless
until they came to the attention of Lafayette who paid for
their return to the United States.
Three years after arriving in Europe, Mahongo eventually
did meet President Andrew Jackson and was given the peace
medal. Charles Bird King painted her portrait with her child,
which hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington,
D.C.
“This is an exceptional piece that displays the exploitation
that Native Americans faced. This is an interesting story
that most citizens would have never known about,”
said Ford.
Jessica Moore, the 2003-2004 OSU Native American Student
Association princess, was chosen as the model for Mahongo.
Jessica’s grandfather Joe Benny Mason also posed for
art in the State Capitol. He is depicted as the central
figure of an Osage Chief in Charles Banks Wilson’s
mural titled “Frontier Trade 1790-1830,” in
the rotunda.
The painting is a gift from Senator Ford. He will end his
thirty-eight year legislative career in 2004. He was first
elected in 1966 to the Oklahoma House of Representatives,
where he served for fourteen years, and was then elected
in 1981 to the Oklahoma Senate. Because of his efforts,
generations of Oklahomans will be able to enjoy a beautifully
restored Capitol building decorated with fine art. He is
the founder of the Oklahoma State Senate Historical Preservation
Fund, Inc., a non-profit organization which has commissioned
numerous works of original art depicting scenes from Oklahoma
history and portraying prominent Oklahomans, all at no cost
to the state.
“It has been such an honor and a pleasure to be able
to oversee the restoration and preservation projects. When
I came to the Legislature, I was embarrassed by the appearance
of the Capitol. Here was a noble, historic building that
no one wanted to come visit because there was nothing to
look at inside. It was plain and ugly,” noted Senator
Ford. “That’s what inspired me to create the
fund. I wanted the people of Oklahoma to have a building
that they could be proud of – a building filled with
our rich history. Today, the Oklahoma State Capitol is one
of the most beautiful government buildings in the country.”
After the unveiling, Principal Chief of the Osage Nation,
Jim Gray presented Senator Ford with a blanket, an Osage
tradition symbolizing friendship.
This and other art commissioned by the Oklahoma State Senate
Historical Preservation Fund, Inc. can be found on the Internet
at: http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/senate/welcome.html.
For
more information contact:
Senate Communications Office -
(405) 521-5774
