Indian headdress where water meets land in west Michigan

Near the Grand River's delta into Lake Michigan are many bayous: lawn ornament.

In many parts of USA until the 1990s or 2000s sometimes a cast-iron and smartly painted African-American lawn figure dressed in the livery of a carriage driver or attendant could be seen. Originally some of these were sold with large metal ring in the hand as a convenient anchor point for a horse rider to secure her or his horse when visiting the property owner. Still today there are a few left here and there at relics rather than tie-ups for people who travel by horse, but there are not so many of the cast-iron figurines as before.

The photo on this page is much less common, since the subject is an imagined representative for Native Americans (men). And yet the prestigious headdress in not universal, but pertains to a place and time among only certain societies. Similar to the coachman or carriage attendant described above, this lawn figurine is diminutive and non-threatening to the owners, their guests, and neighbors. Apart from its physical properties, what might be meant by the property owner positioning it far from the house (top left of the photo) near the place that water meets land, facing the approach to the house?

Without talking to the residents and neighbors, it is hard to know which meanings are foremost, and what significance is indirectly expressed at the same time. But here are a few lines of meaning that could potentially intersect in 2020 at this location near Grand Haven, Michigan.

1. Heritage: perhaps the owner has some lineage connected to the Plains Indians.
2. Honor: perhaps the owner has no personal stake, but studies deeply and respects the Native ways of life then and now.
3. Habit: perhaps the owner today is following an earlier generation's lawn decorating decision and maintains the property's look little changed from the 1970s or 1950s.
4. Satire or parody: perhaps the owner sees a conflicted double-meaning. The injustices of past and present are given a visual reminder, even as the pop culture attaches heroic or noble symbolized meanings.
5. Abstracted aspirations: taking the figure to stand for many appealing things, instead of as a person in a social setting and moment of history, perhaps the owner chooses this figure from the lawn ornament retail lot to symbolize things like: living off the land, unfettered by tax collectors, judicious, wise, ancient, embodiment of 'liberty', strong and governed by integrity.
6. Class project: perhaps the owner or family or friend created the statuette as art project and this is the display space it occupies now from that day to today.

Grocery patriotism a month after Independence Day

Sunday afternoon grocery shopping in the peanuts, dried fruit, snack section.

Although the waist-level grab shot makes the Star-spangled Banner look very large, in fact this is the normal retail size that homeowners display on poles attached to the front of their house. Since this instance is indoors and cannot flutter in the breeze, the supporting structure holds the full rectangular shape rigidly unfurled.

The range of possible intentions by the grocery-store corporate headquarters, or the local branch store manager could be one or more meanings. Without probing in conversation, though, here are a few ways to interpret this public display on private property indoors, listed in no particular order of significance.

1. Initiated around the time of the July 4th national holiday in celebration of the Declaration of Independence from the colonial powers in London, this show of The Colors is a traditional sight, albeit normally outdoors instead of in the food rows.
2. Ever since the pandemic arrived at the end of winter season, little by little the small and large impositions on people of all ages and social circumstances has led to tension and irritability, tribal outbursts and blaming one another. So perhaps this national unity statement is a reminder that all citizens (and tacitly, too, the undocumented non-citizens) are members of the same team.
3. At the risk of overthinking the possible primary or secondary meaning, maybe what began as traditional July 4 exhibition has slowly taken on a new meaning as the federal government, starting with the POTUS, has failed to lead a response to Covid-19, including the Black Lives Matter movement, and will soon face the November election, preceded by the August Primary Election. Thus this flag might be a visual reminder to shoppers that times are bad for life expectancy, for social interaction, and for economic livelihoods and therefore it is time to elect fellow citizens who actually do have leadership credentials, plans, and results demonstrated in their careers.
4. Lastly, and not particularly compelling as a purpose for displaying the national flag, it could well be that this one location in all of the vast store, at shoulder height or higher to most shoppers, is meant as nothing more than a cheerful, comforting, decorative and status-quo declaration: "we were here before, we are here now, and we will be open for business tomorrow, too."