More than 200 people, including over 40 members of the Potawatomi Nation from Oklahoma and across the country, attended the recent dedication of JCPRD’s newest permanent art installation.
A ribbon cutting and celebration for “Fire Keepers Circle,” created by Native artists Leah Yellowbird and Aaron Squadroni of Grand Rapids, Minn., took place on July 19 in Heritage Park. With multiple levels of symbolism and meaning, the sculpture honors the journey of the 859 members of the Potawatomi Nation were forcibly marched from Indiana to an area near present-day Osawatomie, Kan., in 1838. The sculpture is located near an existing monument by the park’s marina building which marks the site of a local encampment along the Trail of Death.
“We come here today to remember those who walked this trail,” Citizen Potawatomi Nation Member and JCPRD Public Art Selection Committee Member Angela Montgomery said in her opening prayer. “As a public art piece in this busy park, the educational value of “Fire Keepers Circle” is immeasurable. For both teaching history and guiding the future, it can serve as a bridge between knowledge and betterment. Elements of the “Fire Keepers Circle” represent renewal, like a circle, can remind us to celebrate this history and stoke the fire to keep it burning. Help us learn from their difficulties so that we can be better people.”
Foundation Executive Director Kelly Blandford shared, “The Parks and Recreation Foundation of Johnson County is proud to bring funding support for Fire Keepers Circle and to celebrate the history and resilience of the Potawatomi people through this beautiful and immersive art piece.”