Notre Dame to cover Christopher Columbus murals because they are seen as demeaning the indigenous peoples who inhabited this “new” world
By Natalia E. Contreras
Indianapolis Star
January 20, 2019
The University of Notre Dame will cover its 19th century murals of Christopher Columbus but will preserve them, university president Rev. John I. Jenkins said in a letter to students and faculty Sunday.
Jenkins said the decision came after a recent outcry from students, alumni, faculty and staff to remove the murals.
In 2017, an open letter to Jenkins with 340 signatures said the pieces of art celebrate slavery and depict Native Americans and blacks as stereotypes.
After a group of Native American students in 1995 called for the murals' removal, the university created pamphlets to explain their historical context. The pamphlets were updated with more information in the 2000s, according to IndyStar reports.
Jenkins said that, over the years, he has listened to the concerns and issues over the topic from students, faculty, staff and representatives of Native American communities.
"...(The murals) reflect the attitudes of the time and were intended as a didactic presentation, responding to cultural challenges for the school’s largely immigrant, Catholic population," the letter states. "In recent years, however, many have come to see the murals as at best blind to the consequences of Columbus’s voyage for the indigenous peoples who inhabited this “new” world and at worst demeaning toward them."
The 12 murals, which are located on Notre Dame's entrance to the Main Building, were painted by Luigi Gregori in 1882-84, the president's letter states.
Jenkins said he made the decision after consulting with the University’s Board of Fellows on a course that will "preserve the murals but will not display them regularly in their current location."
The Native American Student Association of Notre Dame on Facebook called the decision a step forward for the university.
"The Native American Student Association of Notre Dame is thankful for Father Jenkins' thoughtful and wise decision. This is a good step toward acknowledging the full humanity of those Native people who have come before us," the post states. "We sincerely hope that Father Jenkins and his administration will continue to prioritize Native issues on our campus in the coming weeks and months as there is still work to be done."
The murals are painted directly onto the plaster of the walls, and any attempt to move them would damage and likely destroy the works, the letter states.
The murals will be covered by woven material consistent with the decor of the space. A high-resolution image of the murals will be displayed in a campus location to be determined by a committee, the letter states.
"The murals present us with several narratives not easily reconciled, and the tensions among them are especially perplexing for us because of Notre Dame’s distinctive history and Catholic mission," the letter states.
A specific time and date for when the murals will be covered was not immediately available Sunday.
EDITOR’S NOTE: It wouldn’t surprise me if one of these days someone will accuse Jesus of being a racist because all the paintings with Jesus show him ministering only to whites. And then the wolves will howl for the removal of all Jesus sculptures and paintings from public view.
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