The American Indian statue stands at the McCombs Superior Hyundai dealership on Loop 410.
William Luther /Staff photographer
MYSA
By Steven Santana
The American Indian statue that has towered over Loop 410 for over 40 years is coming down because it is not part of the current dealership's "experience." The 26-foot-tall statue known as "The Chief" will be taken down on Monday, July 31, McCombs Enterprises confirmed to the Express-News on Thursday, July 20.
Peter Brodnitz, McCombs Enterprises vice president of marketing, told the Express-News that the removal of the statue was an end of an era that the company is "bummed" about. MySA reached out to McCombs Enterprises for comment. The move also comes months after Billy Joe "Red" McCombs died in February at the age of 95.
"This is a piece of history that is really unique, but is not part of the Hyundai experience," Brodnitz told the Express-News.
The American Indian statue was originally erected at the Superior Pontiac on Broadway until the dealership moved to Loop 410 near Callaghan Road in 1977. McCombs bought Superior Pontiac, and the American Indian statue, in 1989. The statue has since stood over the highway with right arm raised.
Throughout the years the statue has donned a "Just Say No" shirt and a giant Spurs jersey. The Express-News said that the statue was also known for constantly being shot with arrows and bullets.
But the statue was also seen as cultural appropriation of Indigenous people of North America. In 2017, the statue was restored with "culturally appropriate" colors. In 2019, Ramon Vasquez, executive director of American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions, told the Express-News that he wished the statue was more representative of the area indigenous tribes.
“But if it’s just a generic symbol, then we’ve still got a ways to go,” Vasquez told the Express-News at the time.