Kindred Spirits (sculpture)

Kindred Spirits is a large stainless steel outdoor sculpture in Bailick Park in Midleton, County Cork, Ireland.[1][2]

Photo of Kindred Spirits sculpture, Midleton, County Cork.

Kindred Spirits commemorates the 1847 donation by the Native American Choctaw People to Irish famine relief during the Great Hunger, despite the Choctaw themselves living in hardship and poverty and having recently endured the Trail of Tears.[2][3][4] While records of the exact amount of the donation vary, the figure usually given is US$170[5] (about $4,700 in 2019 inflation-adjusted dollars, though some methods indicate it could have been as high as $20,000 in 2015 dollars).[note 1] In the U.S. coinage of the time, U.S.$170 meant 8.22 troy ounces of physical gold, or about US$14,000 in 2020 prices.

The sculpture consists of nine 20-foot (6.1 m) stainless steel eagle feathers arranged in a circle, no two feathers being identical, forming a bowl shape to represent a gift of a bowl of food.[7][8][9] It was created by Alex Pentek at the Sculpture Factory in Cork, Ireland, with assistance from students of the Crawford College of Art and Design, and installed in Bailick Park in 2015.[5][1][10][2][11][12][9] The memorial was commissioned by Midleton Town Council,[13][14] and was officially unveiled and dedicated in June 2017 by Chief Gary Batton, Chief of the Choctaw Nation, Assistant Chief Jack Austin Jr., and Councillor Seamus McGrath, County Mayor of Cork, accompanied by a 20-strong delegation from the Choctaw Nation.[15][16][9][14][17]

See also

Notes
  1. The former according to the American Federal Reserve Consumer Price Index estimate;[6] the latter according to the Sunday Times.[5]

References
  1. "'Kindred Spirits' Monument, Bailic Park, Midleton, Co Cork". Stair na hÉireann – History of Ireland. February 16, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  2. Sharon O’ Reilly-Coates (March 2, 2015). "A famine-time kindness repaid in Cork to Native American Indians". Irish Examiner. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  3. "Huge Sculpture Commemorating Choctaw Kindness Takes Shape in Ireland - Indian Country Media Network". indiancountrymedianetwork.com. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  4. "Irish town built a memorial to thank Native Americans who helped during Famine". IrishCentral.com. 5 October 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  5. Siobhán Maguire (March 22, 2015). "Choctaw gift is a giant feather in Cork's cap". Sunday Times. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  6. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  7. "Ireland monument to Choctaw Nation finished". NewsOK.com. 18 August 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  8. "Cork Statue Pays Tribute to Choctaw Tribe's Generosity during Irish Famine". Native News Online. 17 March 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  9. "Sculpture in Ireland Honors Choctaw Nation". www.choctawnation.com. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  10. Alex Pentek. "Alex Pentek - Portfolio". Alex Pentek website. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  11. Adam Kemp (March 23, 2015). "Ireland recognizes gift from Choctaw Nation during potato famine". NewsOK. The Oklahoman. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  12. "The Choctaw-Irish Bond Lives On". www.choctawnation.com. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  13. Roche, Barry. "Cork sculpture recalls generosity of Choctaw Nation during Famine". The Irish Times. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  14. "Choctaw Native Americans honoured for famine aid". RTE.ie. 18 June 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  15. Kelleher, Olivia (19 June 2017). "Irish and Native American Choctaw nation bonded with sculpture unveiling in Midleton". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  16. "Sculpture marks Choctaw generosity to Irish famine victims". BBC News. 18 June 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  17. "Kindred Spirits sculpture unveiled to remember Choctaw Nation's support for Ireland during the great Famine | westcorktimes.com". westcorktimes.com. Retrieved 25 July 2017.

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