Legend of the White Canoe - Ithaca, NY - Realistic Object Sculptures on Waymarking.com

Legend of the White Canoe is a 6' long gray and white marble sculpture of a canoe set on a 6' high by 3' square slightly tapering white marble base. The sculpture was created by Visiting Artist-In-Residence Katsumi Ida during 2003-2004.

The canoe is decorated with s aeries of 5 white triangles along its side with the apex of the triangles decorated with gold leaf. Steel rods connect the canoe to the base. The interior of the canoe is solid, representing that it is full to overflowing as in the legend.

A brass plaque on the base is inscribed:

The White Canoe Legend from the Website

"In days long gone by it was the custom of the Indian warriors of the forest to assemble at the Great Cataract and offer a human sacrifice to the Spirit of the Falls. The offering consisted of a white canoe, full of ripe fruits and blooming flowers, which was paddled over the terrible cliff by the fairest girl of the tribe. It was counted an honor not only by the tribe to whose lot it fell to make the costly sacrifice, but even by the doomed maiden herself. The only daughter of a widowed Chief of the Seneca Indians was chosen as a sacrificial offering to the Spirit of Niagara. Tolonga, the Great Elk, was bravest among the warriors, and devotedly attached to his child, but, when the lot fell on her, he crushed down in the pride of Indian endurance the feelings of grief that filled his bosom. The eventful night arrived. The moon arose and shone brightly down oh the turmoil of Niagara, when the White Canoe and its precious freight glided from the bank and swept out into the dread rapid. The young girl calmly steered towards the centre of the stream, when suddenly another canoe shot forth upon the water and, under the strong impulse of the Seneca Chief, flew like an arrow to destruction. It overtook the first; the eyes of father and child met in a parting gaze of love, and then they plunged together over the Cataract into Eternity."