Native American Memorial

The theme of pilgrimage, of the journey of faith, inspired sculptor Johnny Bear Contreras as he created the bronze Native American Memorial in the Plaza of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. The Cathedral's adobe color, its brightness and light motivated the artist to design art that was natural, "that looks like an extension of the earth."

The lower portion of the sculpture captures the ocean tide coming to the sand and onto reefs, to and fro, back and forth. It emphasizes the natural current, the movement of the earth. Many Native American's ancient songs refer to the natural movements of the earth. Their ceremonies deal with humans adjusting to the natural rhythms and timings of the earth.
 
A figure of a human becomes apparent on the rear portion and symbolizes the actual progression of man emerging out of the rhythms of nature as part of the creation story. The figure's left arm extends out, grasping the reef to propel himself further or, perhaps, to stabilize himself. The sculpture thus deals with the duality of life and of humankind in transition.

"Often times," says Contreras, "man can be moving like liquid, or sedentary like stone. He may be slumped on the steps that society has placed before him, or he might have created the steps on which he will fall. The steps might also be for advancement."

The bronze sculpture is about 4'x8" high and about 3 1/2' wide at its broadest point and weighs about 600 lb. The rock steps on the lower left represent the journey and struggle of humans as they reach for higher planes of understanding.
Contreras hopes people will run their hands along the inner texture of the inner circle, out and around the edges along the grooves, taking them toward the figure, off the figure and back to the rim. Whether the hands go up or down, everything comes back to the center. He hopes children will walk up the steps, near the statue and touch it, "feel a part of it and be a part of it."

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