Diamond's Dynamics: Local Sculptures

Found in Punta Gorda, a gorgeous sculpture with a fantastic backstory rooted deep in America and its original inhabitants.

Calostimucu - The Whispering Giant, crafted & carved by Peter Wolf Toth. This Hungarian-born American sculptor has a vast array of similar works throughout the United States, honoring Native Americans and those who have suffered injustices. Calostimucu is one of 74 sculptures in the Trail of the Whispering Giants collection. These pieces truly capture the essence of America's true inhabitants. The Whispering Giants can be found in all 50 U.S. states and even a few other countries. Each Whispering Giant represents the Indians of the area where the sculptures are located.

Calostimucu was carved from a 20’ Enterolobium Cyclocarpum tree. Also known as an “ear tree,” this particular wood is very similar to mahogany. Dedicated in 1974 and again in 2006, Calostimucu was the 10th sculpture in the Trail of the Whispering Giants.

Calostimucu portrays the face of a Native American woman looking off into the distance behind you. In my opinion, Toth did an amazing job of giving this sculpture very humbling energy. Taking a moment to observe this sculpture made me stop and honor those whose lives were destroyed, lost, and uprooted. Traditions that were lost and destroyed, eliminating an entire culture. I never even realized Calostimucu was there, even after driving by this spot the last year and a half.

On top of the woman, you can see an eagle taking flight. Eagles have long represented Native Americans within our country. After digging around the web, I learned that Florida has one the densest populations for bald eagles within the United States.

After doing a bit of research and finding bits and pieces of information around the web, I was presently surprised that Calostimucu had an entire other half of the sculpture! On the other side, you can find a very serious-looking man with a buffalo that looks as if it may be dying. This sculpture truly captures a few different aspects of the Native Americans within the area. Buffalos once inhabited Florida long ago when the Natives lived here undisturbed by the Europeans. From being one of the most thriving groups of animals on the planet, the buffalo's numbers have now sadly dwindled to a minuscule fraction of its once vast numbers. After finding this information, the buffalo on its back makes sense, as if the buffalo has died altogether. Within this post, you will find the pictures I took of the woman and the eagle, and I will also attach a photo I found on the internet of the other side depicting the man and buffalo.