1992-2000
Front panel:
Triumph of the Human Spirit
1992-2000
This sculpture is dedicated to all the unknown and unnamed Africans brought to this country including the 427 Africans excavated near this site which is now the rediscovered New York City African Burial Ground.
My inspiration for the concept of this sculpture comes from the Bamana people of Mali, West Africa. The vertical portion of the sculpture represents the male and female antelopes from the Chi Wara headdresses. The Chi Wara rests on a horizontal plane which symbolizes the canoes used by Native Americans, the slaving vessels that transported African men, women and children and the passenger ships that brought immigrants to this country. The part of the granite on which these words are inscribed represents the land.
Triumph of the Human Spirit soars high above this plaza as a memorial to our ancestors and to the legacy of our endurance against the odds. It is also a tribute to the memory of my mother, Mary Clark Pace, 1916-91. The original lock shown below was worn by my great-great grandfather, Steve Pace, during his enslavement. The key symbolizes his freedom. The lock and key were passed on to me by my uncle, Julius Pace, in 1991.
Lorenzo Pace
Side panel
Chi Wara
The headdresses depicted above are from the Bamana people of Mali, West Africa. These headdresses, known as "Chi Wara," represent mythical male and female "antelopes" that the Bamana believe taught people to farm, thus to survive.
The female antelope is
distinguished from the male by the young fawn carried on her back. Symbolically, the male represents the sun, the female represents the earth, and the fawn represents humankind. In dance performances, pairs of male and female Chi Wara taught, praised and encourage good farming. In addition, the antelopes dancing together symbolize cooperation between men and women to produce a successful harvest.
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