Alaskans debating Captain James Cook’s place in history

The mayor of Alaska’s biggest city has asked the local indigenous people to decide the fate of a statue of Captain James Cook.

The statue of Captain Jame Cook in Resolution Park, Anchorage. Picture: AP

The mayor of Alaska’s biggest city has asked the local indigenous people to decide the fate of a statue of Captain James Cook as monuments to historical figures are dis­mantled around the world.

Cook and his crew were the first Europeans to set foot in the region in 1778, arriving in what is now called Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet while searching for the Northwest Passage on behalf of the British government.

Anchorage mayor Ethan Berkowitz and Native Village of Eklutna president Aaron Leggett wrote a joint letter saying “the statue is but one symbol among many that fail to fully and fairly recognise Anchorage’s First People”.

The letter was written in ­response to the Anchorage Sister Cities Commission, which suggested modifying the monument to reflect the history of Alaska’s indigenous people.

“Consequently, as part of the government-to-government relationship between the municipality of Anchorage and the Native Village of Eklutna, we seek to establish a process that respects the crucial role and sovereign authority of local tribes as we more fully and fairly portray Alaska’s past,” the letter said.

A decision has not been made on the statue, but Mr Leggett said he would like to see modifications at the statue site that represent the history and voice of the Dena’ina people.

Governments around the world face calls to dismantle statues that represent cultural or ­racial oppression following the death of black man George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis.

Conservative politicians in Australia have resisted calls to remove statues of Cook, with NSW Premier Gladys Berejik­lian considering tougher laws to protect monuments after memorials to Cook were defaced.

Earlier this month, two women were charged with allegedly spraying graffiti on a Captain Cook statue in Sydney’s Hyde Park following Black Lives Matter protests.

The two women, one a part-time employee of NSW Greens MP David Shoebridge, were ­arrested near College Street in the CBD after police were alerted to graffiti on the statue at 4am, NSW police said in a statement.

The women were allegedly found with several spray cans in a bag.

The statue was defaced with the statements “sovereignty never ceded” and “no pride in genocide”.

Xiaoran Shi, 28, and Charmaine Morrison-Mills, 27, were charged with destroying or damaging property and possession of a graffiti implement. They were both granted bail and will appear before Sydney’s Downing Centre Court on Thursday.

Another Cook statue was vandalised in Randwick on June 13, with black paint used to write “no pride in genocide” and drawing the outline of an Aboriginal flag on the monument on Belmore Road.

Victoria Police is also investigating the defacing of statues in Ballarat.

Additional reporting: Emily Ritchie