Philadelphia Public Art @philart.net
Artist: Raymond Sandoval
Tamanend
Raymond Sandoval,
1995
* Statue of Tamanend
* big
standing person
wearing a hat,
eagle,
turtle
* inscription:
In honor of the contributions of Native American Indians - the
ancestors, the elders, this generation and the generations to come -
this sculpture commemorates Tamanend, a Sakima, of the Lenni-Lenape
Nation who resided in the Delaware Valley when Philadelphia or
"Coaquannok" was established.
Tamanend stands on a turtle, which represents Mother Earth. The
eagle, a reverend messenger of Great Spirit, has a wampum belt
in its grasp. This belt recognizes the friendship treaty under the
Sackomaxen elm between William Penn ("Mikwon"), Tamanend ("The Affable
One") and other leaders of the Lenni-Lenape Nation. It reads "to live
in peace as long as the waters are in the rivers and creeks and as
long as the stars and moon endure."
Penn dealt with the Lenni-Lenape people when he came to the land
given him by the King of England. He bought the land from the
Lenni-Lenape through a number of treaties. Tamanend was one of
the Sakimas who played a prominent role as a welcoming delegate
on Penn's arrival in 1682 and in the early treaties of 1683 and 1692.
Tamanend was considered the patron saint of America by the colonists
prior to American Independence. Tamanend day was celebrated annually
on May 1st in Philadelphia and bells were rung in his honor.
* Front and Market.
* 39.949735,-75.142000 [map] [nearby]
* On the Penn's Landing tour
* Exhibits: Favorites,
Religious
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's Tamanend page