ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — April's severe storms knocked over the Chief Black Hawk statue that stood on 11th Street in Rock Island for 62 years.
Now, the local Native American community is using it as a catalyst to hopefully restore not only the statue, but their beloved heritage.
"We want to save it," said Martin Chanet, president of the newly-formed Inter-Tribal League of American Indians. "It has spiritual, sentimental, historical and iconic landmark value to us."
Chanets' ancestors grew up on Native American reservations, and he feels that the statue represents a diverse group of Native Americans.
However, restoring the statue has not come without pushback. The Native American Coalition of the Quad Cities wants to see the statue destroyed because some believe it perpetuates negative Native American stereotypes. Chante says he understands, but disagrees.
"We are Native Americans too and we don't want to use it for any of that," Chanet said. "We want to honor it and respect it. We want to save it. We feel that it belongs to us, a diverse group of Native Americans, and it belongs to the Quad Cities itself."
The statue is only the beginning of preserving the culture. Chanet says they want to bring back powwows to the Quad Cities area and teach Native American history. He wants everyone to participate, regardless if they have a drop of Native American blood or not.
It is now up to the Rock Island City Council to decide whether or not the Chief Black Hawk statue will stand tall once again.
The council will vote on the fate of the statue during a future meeting, but at this time City Manager Todd Thompson released a statement to News 8, saying "We are taking the time to speak with various residents and groups with regard to their hopes for the Black Hawk statue. We hope that whatever decision is made will serve the community in the best way possible while respecting Native American heritage and the history of the City."