As all of the Republican governor hopefuls were using this statue as an example of government waste, I had my own example of government waste. For months now, the state of Kansas has been harassing the Ho-Chunk Tribe of Nebraska, and the Iowa, Sauk and Fox, and Kickapoo tribes of Kansas, over back fuel taxes, which the state of Kansas had no jurisdiction to collect. Two federal district courts have affirmed this position, and now these tribes are suing the state of Kansas for $1 million in damages. That to me is a greater example of taxpayer waste that can be attributed to the arrogance and short-sightedness of the Kansas Attorney General’s Office when dealing with Indian law.

However, dwelling on this statue is not the point. The Kansas Legislature removed the Kaw Tribe in 1873 to Indian Territory. No statue can ever make up for this event in Kaw history.

If this statue isn’t put on the capitol dome, then it should be donated to the Kaw Tribe. This tribe is having trouble with museums over repatriation of tribal artifacts, as are many tribes nationally. There are laws that allow for tribal-repatriation; it’s just that museums aren’t all that cooperative with the tribes, because they covet their “prized” pieces.

In conclusion, federal laws concerning repatriation should be obeyed, and items should be returned. Memo to museums: Not all objects are “prehistoric.”

Mike Ford,

Lawrence