Reitz Wishtischin is a reporter for the Vermont Cynic, where a version of this story was first published.
Thanks to a gift from an anonymous donor, a University of Vermont junior will be leading an effort to design and place a statue on the Burlington campus honoring Indigenous people.
Maddie Henson, a student who co-founded the Indigenous People’s Collective, recently received $100,000 through the UVM Foundation for the project.
The idea for the statue grew out of discussion that began two years ago within the university’s Student Government Association. Henson also is chairperson of the association’s Committee on Student Action and Well-Being, although the project is separate from the SGA and connected to her work with the Indigenous Peoples Collective.
Henson was joined in the endeavor by Erika Nestor, the director of major gifts at the UVM Foundation, and Tiffany Tuttle, pre-doctoral social work and First Nations fellow at the university.
Nestor was unable to comment due to the UVM Foundation’s media policy, which requires that all statements come from the CEO, according to an email from Ben Yousey-Hindes, assistant VP for communications and stewardship.
CEO Jim Keller declined to comment.
Henson said the donor is a UVM alum who wishes to remain anonymous in order to place the emphasis on Indigenous students on campus.
Expressing surprise at receiving the $100,000 donation, Henson said she found out about it in a phone call from Nestor after pitching the idea to the UVM Foundation.
“I was in shock for a couple of weeks. … It went from zero to a hundred,” Henson said.
Henson and her team are still in the process of budgeting the money for different aspects of the statue. They will be selecting an artist from an indigenous New England tribe and are leaving the actual depiction of the statue up to the artist. They also plan to set aside a portion of the funds for future upkeep.
The goal of creating the statue is to display a commitment to caring for the next seven generations, which relates to native traditions claiming that today’s choices will result in a sustainable world seven generations in the future.
Still, Henson wants the statue to be interactive. She expects it to be geared towards the elder-to-child relationship and teaching the next generation about the past and preserving the future. She envisions a woman with her hands extended for children to jump or sit on.
Henson, whose tribal ties are all in the West, said she has no personal connections to local Indigenous groups but enjoys learning about tribal politics. Her colleague in the project, First Nations fellow Tiffany Tuttle, is a member of the Santee Sioux Tribe of the Dakota Nation, according to the UVM Foundation website.
“There’s no specific tribe (the statue is honoring),” Henson said. “I want this to be a beacon for all Indigenous people.”
Tuttle shares Henson’s hope and vision that the statue will be a site of societal participation. Tuttle said this project is for more than just Indigenous people, it’s for the entire UVM community and greater Burlington area.
“My perspective on Indigenous issues is not a unanimous perspective that all Indigenous people share,” Henson said. “I’m not the only pinpoint on campus for activism. I just happened to be the one who is most visible due to my SGA work.”
Henson said an ideal location for the statue would be in front of the Waterman Building, the university’s main administration building.
“UVM has a promise to Indigenous communities to do better,” Henson said. “(I hope) people notice that there is a problem.”
