Kris Wartelle

kwartelle@theadvertiser.com

Broadmoor-area residents have been marveling at the new addition to their neighborhood: a statue of a Native American that stands more than 13 feet tall, smack dab in Charlie DeVille’s front yard on Gerald Drive.

“We love him,” said Sharon Varn, Deville’s next door neighbor. “Me and my kids, we think it’s great. Whenever he said he was going to move it here, I thought it was a great idea. When I saw it, I didn’t realize how big it was, but still loved it.”

Varn’s son, Zach, said he was extremely curious about the figure when he saw it lying on a trailer in DeVille’s driveway.

“When I first saw it, I was like, “Man, that is probably the coolest thing someone can put in their front yard. It’s definitely unique. Nobody else has it, that’s for sure.”

The giant bronze statue weighs more than 2,000 pounds and, according to Deville, comes all the way from New Jersey where it was poured in a foundry.

Deville’s American Indian replica (he doesn’t know what tribe the stature represents) is holding an ax in one hand and clutching a knife in the other. He stands proud and tall (towering at least one story above the house), wearing loose pants, no shirt and a headband.

How he got here, is quite a story.

Deville acquired the bronze at auction about 12 years ago. He claimed he paid $13,500 for the piece and called that a bargain, saying it normally would have cost about $21,000.

He kept the mighty figure at his old historic home in Lawtell for many years, before moving to Lafayette.

“He was sort of the guardian of the place,” DeVille said. “I found it fascinating. I thought it was a good representative of my family history."

DeVille’s family history includes a great-grandmother, Melina Darden, who was a full-blooded Chitimacha. Both her father and brother became chiefs of the tribe.

That makes Deville, 67, about one-eighth American Indian. He is also a marine and Vietnam veteran, former teacher and oil businessman. A true Louisiana character, he has competed in the Tour de Teche, makes stained glass, collects old jukeboxes and is skilled at creating elaborate wind chimes.

Because of his heritage, Deville has also become an avid collector of Native American artifacts.

The collection includes another wooden statue on his patio and a 500-pound bronze Comanche Chief standing in the corner of his bedroom.

“When I die, I’m going to be cremated and my ashes will be put inside him,” he said, pointing to the Comanche chief. “So I’ll go wherever he goes. Hopefully it will be with one of my sons.”

Deville, along with his girlfriend, recently put his old plantation home in Lawtell up for sale. The couple moved into their current home and began making plans to transport the giant to their front yard.

Although it was a process, believe it or not, DeVille said it wasn’t all that difficult.

“We loaded him onto a trailer and brought him here,” he explained. “Then we had a tractor that we can attach a boom to and we picked him up with the boom. I sunk a 4-foot pipe in the ground so I can turn him any way I want and remove him. That anchors him so he doesn’t fall over in a hurricane. It really didn’t take but 15 minutes once we got him here.”

The unusual new fixture seems to have caught on with residents. On any given day, people can be seen stopping in the street to stare and sometimes take pictures. Deville's neighbors said they don’t mind the traffic at all.

“It’s sort of amusing,” Varn said. “They’ll come on Sunday and drive by real slow. And then they turn around and come back. Like, what’s the deal with the Indian? It’s great.”

“Someone called me and asked if I wanted to sell it, DeVille added. “I said, 'No. It’s not for sale.' I don’t mind if they come up in my yard. It’s here for everyone to enjoy.”