Weather beatdown leaves towering Maine landmark surrounded by crime scene tape

Crime scene tape surrounds the Skowhegan Indian, a local landmark in Maine, after an attack by Mother Nature

SKOWHEGAN, Maine — Crime scene tape surrounds the Skowhegan Indian, a local landmark in Maine, after an attack by Mother Nature.

The towering wooden statue is missing part of its face and arm, as well as a spear. The damage is probably caused by wild weather and a storm.

The 60-foot-tall sculpture depicts a Wabanaki fisherman and was completed in 1969 by artist Bernard Langlais, a student and teacher at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, according to the Chamber of Commerce. Before it was damaged, the fisherman held a spear in one hand and a fishing weir or trap in the other.

The face was damaged months ago, and a storm from February 28 to 29 knocked off part of the statue’s arm and the spear it held.

The statue was last restored ten years ago. The chamber is now trying to figure out how to finance another restoration, Luke York, chairman of the Skowhegan Regional Chamber of Commerce board of directors, told the Morning Sentinel newspaper.

The statue remains an icon in the community, having been renamed the mascot of the high school formerly known as the Indians. The high school sports teams are now called the River Hawks.