Ballance and de Belalcázar: What violent action against two statues in New Zealand and Colombia reveals about the political power of landscape

Abstract

The political narratives of two statues representing Aotearoa New Zealand and Colombian colonial figures are revealing. In both countries, tensions between indigenous peoples and colonial powers have intensified in recent decades, and violent actions against the statues demonstrate the political potency of memorials. New Zealand’s statue of statesman John Ballance – symbolising European colonial presence on Māori land – became the target of attacks by activists during the occupation of Pākaitore, Motua Gardens, Whanganui in 1995. The statue was beheaded and later entirely removed. In 2009, a new statue of Ballance was erected outside Whanganui District Council offices. In Colombia during the 1930s, the "Morro de Tulcán," the most sacred site for the Pubenenses Indians, was the location chosen for a statue of Spanish conquistador Sebastián de Belalcázar rather than one of indigenous leader and defender of the land, Cacique Pube. In 2020, protesters pulled down the statue of de Belalcázar – a powerful symbol of oppression favouring Spanish heritage over indigenous culture.