Good reasons for Ishi statue

Other Voices:  Why we should pay tribute to IshiTo California Indians, Ishi is a beloved historical hero, one who we admire and relate to. He represents both the shattering and the survival of our tribal heritages. But perhaps his greatest attribute and the most instructive, was his saint-like capacity for forgiveness.

His gentle nature and his remarkable journey, ending only recently with the return of his brain from the vaults of the Smithsonian to a burial place in his beloved homeland, make him emblematic of the struggles and survival of all California Indian people.

Last, Ishi was a good-looking man who looked great in a suit. The proposed statue is somewhat deco-noveau with its swirling lines and generalized, anonymous figures. Such sculptures are proliferating in many production foundries and may look too contemporary.

A bronze statue of a real person would be more historic. But, maybe leave the shoes off, he never got used to them.