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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 15, 1995)
SMOKE SIGNALS September 15, 1995 Page 5 ,.,tn.,mmm,m.,, n , , m ,in in, , ,, , , iinmnm. MimM. ., , in,,,, - ,.,.., aMwumri i mi nimririinim iinii.iiiniiiiiiiiiii.il I i,.i.iii..iii..nii in i n ., r DAfter months of labor, artist Rip Caswell has nearly com pleted the sculpture of Martha Jane Sands. The statue will be erected at the entrance of Spirit Mountain Casino. By Tracy Dugan THE ARTISTS Artist Rip Caswell wanted to sculpt Martha Jane Sands even before he knew the Tribe wanted him to. What began as a chance encoun ter between two artists has resulted in the comple tion of a magnificent work of art. There isn't a person Indian or non-Indian who wouldn't be impressed by its beauty and realism. After months of research, interviews, long hours in the studio, and one burglary, the twice life size sculpture of Martha Jane Sands and her granddaughter, Gertrude is nearly complete. The photo on the right is a miniature a maquctte Rip initially sculpted from a pencil drawing. The drawing was the work of tribal member Lon Mer rier, Martha's great-great grandson. Lon, also a professional artist, met Rip when he invited Lon to be a featured artist at his gallery in Troutdale, during their annual Native American art show. When Lon first showed the drawing to Rip he was so inspired by Martha's image he began the sculpture, just for himself. I just fell in love with the image of Martha," he said. When he learned that Tribal Council wanted to have Lon's drawing reproduced into a sculp ture for Spirit Mountain Resort, he immediately started sculpting the miniature. Bruce Thomas, General Manager of Spirit Mountain Develop ment Corporation, invited Rip to submit a min iature for consideration. The finished piece was better than anyone had imagined. Rip was com missioned to create the bronze sculpture. Rip said that the piece was a real challenge because of its size and because he only had a photograph from which he worked to create Martha and Gertrude's likeness. Regardless, he dove into this project zealously, and now Martha Jane Sands and the history she repre sents has come to life. Several tribal members have served as models for Rip during his sculpting. Kathryn Harrison's hands were used as models for Martha's, and Sanda "Sam" Henny's feet served as models for Gertrude's feet. Because Gertrude's face was a little blurred in the photograph, Bruce Thomas's daughter, Natalie, posed as a model for her face. Like Lon Mercier, Bruce is also one of Martha Jane's descendents. In fact, Gertrude was his grandmother. The photograph doesn't clearly de pict Gertrude's clothing, cither. So Rip researched traditional dress from that time period, and even hired a pro fessional seamstress to sew a pinafore type of dress that he thought Gertrude was wearing in the photograph. Rip said that the more he's gotten into the project, the more he realized how important it is to be accurate. He spent an entire week just sculpting Martha's necklace, trying to make it look exactly like the one in the photo. "I feel like I'm making history," he said. One bittersweet note: Last April the first maquette Rip sculpted the one he was to use as a model was stolen from the Caswell Gal- rr LJ LJUUW IMWJJUUITOMW nil I... 7 i. mm It "V . T ' 4k. v lery during a weekend opening. It was April 1st, and realizing it was not an April Fool'sjoke, Rip notified the authorities, but never really ex pected to see the statue again. (The bronze maquettes are limited-edition collector's pieces, and valued at more than $2,000.) Rip conducted further research and ended up recreating a mock up he was happier with. Then in May, Dustin Olson, 19, of Gresham, found the maquette near the Union Pacific Railroad bridge in Lewis and Clark State Park, wrapped in a paper bag. He returned it to the Caswell Gallery, where Rip rewarded him with $100. THE WOMAN Martha Jane Sands was born in Oregon in the 1840s, and lived near the Rogue River with her family until 1856, when the Rogue River Wars occurred. Martha, her cousin Harriet, and her mother says that she died in 1912, at the age of 68. In that case, she would have been twelve years old in 1856. During the attack, Martha, Harriet, and her mother hid in a beaver canal until the next morn ing, but were captured by soldiers returning to the village. In order to make room for white settlers, Martha, along with over 1 ,000 Indians from over 1 5 Oregon tribes, was forced to march across Oregon and through the Willamette Valley, to be relocated in Grand Ronde. Martha made the journey in her bare feet, and was reunited with her people a few months later. So Martha Jane Sands brought the art of bas ket weaving to Grand Ronde, where she lived for the remainder of her life. Basket making was an art that Martha had mastered. Weaving one was a meticulous pro-' cess that consisted of gathering hazelnut hi n. mi. - .. 'i ifert ram it m mmsmr Mb SAL were visiting an Upmqua village when they were attacked by American soldiers. ' There is some question as to Martha's age at that time. In the Applegate Report, which contains a written ac count of Martha's verbal testimony, she stated her age as 64. Her testimony was supposedly given in 1 905, which means she would have been 15 years old at the time of the attack. On the other hand, the engraving on Martha's headstone branches, soaking them for weeks, stripping the bark from them, and letting them dry. All that even before the weaving could begin. Her daughter, Hattie Hudson, worked with her mother over the years to earn money. They sold and traded their baskets in metropolitan areas. It was their main source of income, a craft they knew well. Then in the early 1900s, Martha Jane passed away. "This has always been my home." The following dialogue is an excerpt from the historical Applegate files. O.C. Applegate was hired by the U.S. govern ment in the 1900s to come to Grand Ronde. interview Indians on the reservation, and document tribal lineage in order to deter mine who would receive land allotments from the government. The Applegate Re port is available at the Oregon Archives. Here is part of Martha Jane's testimony. How old are you and what is your name? I am 64 years old and my name is Martha J. Sands. What is your blood Mrs. Sands? I am pure blood Rogue River. My people lived in the Rogue River valley in southern Oregon. Did you come here under the treaty? Yes, I came before my people, the Rogue Rivers came. My first cousin, Harriet, now Harriet Lindsey, and myself were not at home when the war with the white people occurred but were over in the Umpqua country visiting with the Umpqua Indians, among whom we had some relatives. Then you know Harriet Lindsey and came with her, with the Umpqua Indians? Yes, I knew her my whole life. We were chil dren together and we were about the same age, we were playmates. I call her my sister, according to the Indian way, but she is my first cousin. You say you came with the Umpqua Indi ans, Mrs. Sands. What chiefs were in charge when you came? Louis Nepissank was the first chief and Pe ter McCoy was the second chief, I think. Your own people came later? Yes, they came the same summer, but later. We were united to our own relatives when the Rogue River Band came. How long did Harriet Lindsey remain here after she came? Nine or ten years, I think. She lived with an army officer for about three years and then was married to David Leno and lived with him maybe as long. Then she left him and went to The Dalles and has never lived here since. Has she any children that you know of? Yes, she has a daughter, now 34 years old named Marion, who is living in Portland. She had other children, but this is the only one living. Have you always lived here? Yes, this reservation has always been my home. Martha never could have known how her skill and love for basket weaving would be admired and appreciated for so many generations of Grand Ronde tribal members. Nor could she have known that her image would one day sym bolize the strength and courage ol'a people. The sculpture, like Lon Mercier's old photograph, symbolizes the importance of the exchange of knowledge from old to young. It will depict Gertrude being taught the craft of basket mak ing by her grandmother. That was the tradition of our people. That's the way it should be.
