A statue over three decades old appears to have been the target of vandals in Okotoks.
A steer skull sculpture went missing from atop a piece of Indigenous artwork in Westridge Close Park, prompting concern from the community and calls for its return.
"It's a real shame," said Westridge Close resident Sheila Hughes, who noticed the skull was missing on Feb. 22.
The sculpture was erected in 1992 by renowned First Nations artist Rocky Barstad, who ran High River Two Feathers Gallery until 2012 and has had his work featured at the Bar U Ranch, Kananaskis Lodge and the Aboriginal Peoples Gallery at the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton.
"This piece of art represents a meeting place and is a way of giving thanks for the land on which it sits," reads an inscription by Barstad on the statue, which is titled Okotoks.
Hughes, who has lived in the community since 1996, called it an important telling of the area's Blackfoot history.
"Our street feels honoured to have it in our park," she said.
Westridge Close Park is a popular spot, complete with benches and a free library, and represents the tight-knit nature of the community, making this a surprising and unfortunate incident for Hughes.
"The worst thing, we've never had vandalism here," she said. "This is the first."
Hughes is calling for the skull's return, in the hopes that someone might anonymously bring it back to the park.
"We would just really, really like it returned," she said. "They can just leave it on the bench, no questions asked. Just please return it. It's important to us."
Hughes reported the skull's disappearance to the Town of Okotoks and local RCMP detachment, who are searching for it and actively investigating the incident.
"I'm really hoping somebody sort of thought it was a fun thing to do, rather than somebody taking it to sell it for the brass," she said. "I really hope that that's not the case."
If it's not returned, Hughes is exploring other options for restoring the piece, whether that's through community fundraising or commissioning a new artist.
"It's a beautiful Indigenous statue, and we would really hate to see it like this," she said.
