Manitou Lake is a large, cold and very deep lake located near Neilburg. Away back in time immemorial, when great herds of buffalo still roamed the vast prairie lands of North America, a monumental disaster occurred when most, if not all, of an entire herd of buffalo disappeared beneath the icy waters of the lake.
The herd habitually wintered on an island located somewhat centrally in the lake. They would cross over on the ice and not return until close to the advent of the breakup in spring. It is believed that upwards of 200 years ago the ice gave way beneath the pounding hooves of the herd. One can only imagine the frantic efforts of the doomed herd of buffalo as they struggled to keep themselves afloat and reach the safety of the shore. Every year since the happening of the tragedy, when the lake rises in the spring, buffalo bones are strewn all around the shoreline.
During a visit with friends who live on Manitou Lake, artist Tom Hamer found half of a buffalo's pelvic bone, about 18 inches in length. The intriguing piece immediately became an inspiration to the carver and he decided to incorporate it into a commemorative sculpture symbolizing the unfortunate event. He created a beautiful base made from green soapstone to anchor the bone, which rises vertically in totemic splendor.
At the top of the pole we see the head and watchful eyes of a lively wolf. "The head was already there," says Tom. "I just refined it a little and added the eyes."
Just below, in the hole that once framed the pelvic cavity, the artist has carved and inset a stone mask, representative of a human face, realistically framed in horsehair which brushes against a buffalo's head below. The amazingly lifelike head is carved from soapstone and set into the hip joint. A symbolic hand, carved from yellow cedar, reaches to touch the face.
The carver has achieved a mystically haunting tribute to the lost herd of buffalo - the ghosts of Manitou Lake.
This piece of art was recently donated to the Manitou Pioneers Museum in Neilburg, so that visitors may hear the story and view the carving for themselves.
