Billy Frank, Jr. statue unveiled last week

Shirley Stirling

Some 150 people crowded into the State Reception Room last Wednesday for a ceremony that unveiled the model of the statue of Nisqually leader Billy Frank, Jr. that is planned to stand in the U.S. Capitol starting next year.

As a young man, Frank was pursued relentlessly by law enforcement, as he held firm in his resolve to fish for salmon, a right guaranteed to his Nisqually Indian Tribe and the eight others that were parties to the 1854 Treaty of Medicine Creek.

Like the salmon, Billy Frank, Jr. swam against the stream, leading fish-ins and other demonstrations. And as with the salmon, the challenging journey upstream led to success.

Billy Frank, Jr. (1931-2014) was a Marine and served in the Korean War. His fight for Indian fishing rights started on the Nisqually River here in Thurston County when he was a teenager in the 1950s and went all the way to the United States Supreme Court by the 1970s.

As Governor Jay Insley stated at the event, “It is rare to have someone who’s arrested 50 times who still is committed to the democratic traditions of this nation.” 

Boldt Decision 

In a series of complex decisions starting in 1974 and upheld by the Supreme Court, the landmark Boldt Decision in United States v. Washington affirmed tribal fishing rights. Tribes who were parties to the treaties had the right to half the catch.

After the Boldt Decision, and as leader of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, Billy Frank, Jr. continued to work throughout his life for the conservation of salmon and their habitats.

Two statues for two Washington capitols

On January 10, a four-foot clay sculpture, a maquette, or model for a full-sized sculpture, was unveiled at the State Reception Room in Olympia to an overflowing crowd of tribal and state leaders, activists and community well-wishers. Two full-sized versions will be cast in bronze as nine-foot statues, a full 11-feet high, including the two-foot granite base. Frank is seated and dressed casually, with a kind and friendly expression. Below him are jumping salmon.

The artist, Haiying Wu, now begins the process of enlarging the statue to full size. He thanked the State of Washington for the opportunity to become the first Chinese-American sculptor to create for the national statuary hall. 

One statue will be shipped in 2025 to the National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C., in time for the 50^th Anniversary of the Boldt Decision. The other will stand in Olympia’s Legislative Building.  

Two from each state 

Since 1864, states have been invited to honor state residents by placing two pieces in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall collection. Washington State was the last state in the union to accept the invitation, starting with pioneer missionary Marcus Whitman. The Whitman bronze by Avard Fairbanks was installed in 1953, and now stands in Statuary Hall. The national collection, by weight and volume, “burst” its venue as the number of states expanded.

Whitman, an early pioneer missionary and physician, assisted in the “great emigration” of 1843, which established the Oregon Trail. He had a complex relationship with the Cayuse Indian tribes he served, one that historians have reconsidered in recent years.

In 1980, over 20 years after the Whitman statue’s placement, a bronze of Mother Joseph by sculptor Felix W. de Weldon was added. The second statue from each state is located at another prominent capitol ground location. Mother Joseph, kneeling in prayer, can be found at the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, DC. (Also, find the same bronze of her inside the entrance to the state capitol rotunda). 

Frank replaces Whitman

The Frank statue, purchased with donations (gifts, grants, and endowments), will replace that of Marcus Whitman in Washington, DC, which has stood for 70 years. In 2021, The Washington State Legislature enacted House Bill 1372, that states, in part, “Billy Frank, Jr. dedicated his life to advocating for equality, justice, and environmental protections. He fought to protect tribal treaty rights, native cultures and traditions, and the natural resources they are based upon.” 

Whitman to return to Walla Walla 

The first draft of the Frank legislation proposed to replace Whitman with a “more contemporary Washingtonian to further celebrate the state and the continuous contributions Washingtonians have made in the 20th and 21st centuries”. The decision, controversial to some and celebrated by others, reflects a desire to celebrate a man who inspires and to also look at the larger picture of Native American rights and treatment throughout history, Native American accomplishments, and love of the natural environment, including salmon. Washington State legislation in 2021 (ESHB 1372) introduced the Billy Frank Jr. replacement, and also took responsibility for the future display of the Whitman statue in Walla Walla County, the site of the historical Whitman Mission. (Also legislated is a transfer of ownership for the Whitman statue and an unveiling ceremony after the Whitman statue’s reinstallation.) 

Native American Representation 

Frank will be one of nine Native Americans in the national statuary collection. The installation is expected in 2025, and he will be the only Native American included from the modern era. The other Native Americans include King Kamehameha I, Po’pay, Will Rogers, Sakakawea, Sequoyah, Chief Standing Bear, Chief Washakie, and Sarah Winnemucca The most recent Native American honoree, Will Rogers, was a Cherokee and died in 1939. 

‘Amazing likeness’

A number of people at the unveiling were heard to say that both the likeness and expression are amazing. According to State Senator Sam Hunt, “He looks just the way he did in life when I would meet him. And he’d always say, ‘God damn, it’s good to see you!’ or ‘Jesus Christ, it’s good to see you!’”   

The Lieutenant Governor’s office 

People were visibly touched by the expression and presence of what the artist Haiying Wu described as Frank’s charming personality in the sculpture unveiled. Go see for yourself. The maquette is now on permanent display in Olympia, within the lobby of the Lieutenant Governor’s office, along with several storyboards narrating Billy Frank, Jr.’s life.

Lt. Governor Denny Heck, said at the unveiling, which he hosted, “My heart is filled with joy.”  

Sending ‘The best in Washington State to Washington, DC’

Governor Insley commented on Frank’s courage. “He had the courage to stand up against the forces against him, which at the time was the entire government of the United States of America. That takes spine. It takes resilience. It takes a strength of character that not everyone has.” He went on to speak of Frank’s other side, “…At the same time, I don’t think I ever worked with someone more committed to bringing people together. He always said we go farther together. He said we always stay at the table to try to work out our controversies. And it is that rare combination of strength that speaks truth to power, while also finding the best in each other so that we can work together to solve our differences… I’m so pleased that we are sending the best in Washington State to Washington DC.” He also mentioned that he was pleased to be “sending salmon.” 

Shirley Stirling, of Lacey, writes about good things people in Thurston County are doing. If you’d like to nominate someone to be profiled, contact her at shirley@theJOLTnews.com or comment below.