Statue to be 17 feet high, weigh 4-plus tons

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Enoch Kelly Haney, Five Tribes master artist and state senator from Seminole, has met with architects and engineers to firm up dimensions of a sculpture that will top the new state Capitol dome.

Haney, selected to sculpt the statue, said it has been determined that the bronze will be 17 feet high and weigh about 4 to 41/2 tons.

"Obviously, there are artistic, aesthetic considerations involved, as well as the engineering and architectural demands regarding height and weight," Haney said Friday.

The artist is a full-blood Seminole-Creek Indian who has been in the Legislature since 1981 and also served as tribal councilman and manager for the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma.

He was one of six finalists for creating a sculpture on top of the 155-foot dome planned for the Capitol. The entries were judged by numbers only.

Haney declined to accept the $50,000 commission allocated for the project.