05-11-2008, 02:01 PM
Andrew Tallackson
The News-Dispatch
CHESTERTON - "Are you ready to see it?" Bill Homann poses that question after spending nearly an hour discussing the Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull, which the daughter of a British adventurer entrusted to him after she died a little more than a year ago.
Homann excuses himself from the living room of his rural Chesterton home, briefly disappearing before returning with the skull, which rests on a tray draped in black velvet. He sets it on a coffee table.
The skull is magnificent.
Made from clear quartz and resembling a small human cranium, the craftsmanship is flawless. The lower jaw detaches, but the detail lavished on the teeth is what is most striking. When the skull captures sunlight filtering into the room, a stunning array of colors erupts within it.
"It's something, isn't it?," Homann asks. "You can see it in a book or a picture, but it's nothing like when you really get to see it."
Homann knows the skull, and most likely himself, will be thrust into the limelight as moviegoers eagerly await "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," which arrives in theaters May 22. That's fine with him. Homann says it is his mission to shed light not just on the skull, but the two people closely associated with it before him.
So how did Homann, a La Porte native, 1964 La Porte High School graduate, 30-year employee of Tri-Electronics, Hammond, Ind., and former karate show host on Michigan City's public-access channel come to possess the skull?
That story is as fascinating as the skull itself.
How many crystal skulls remain is frequently debated. Many are considered pre-Columbian, specifically of Aztec and Mayan civilizations, although that issue comes under frequent debate as well. In some circles, the skulls are viewed as paranormal objects.
Homann's skull was discovered in 1924 by Anna Le Guillon Mitchell-Hedges, daughter of British adventurer and writer F.A. Mitchell-Hedges - allegedly the inspiration behind the Indiana Jones character - beneath a collapsed temple altar in Lubaantun in British Honduras, which is now Belize.
Anna Mitchell-Hedges toured with the skull from 1967 until she died in April 2007. It was during the final eight years of her life that Homann took care of her, and resulted in her passing the skull on to him.
Homann first learned of the skull while stationed in Panama with the U.S. Air Force in 1968. F.A. Mitchell-Hedges was well-known in the area, especially stories of him once riding the canal of a giant squid.
Years later, Homann learned about Anna Mitchell-Hedges and the skull through friends in Chicago, and in 1981 he arranged a meeting with her. They became instant friends, which led to him caring for her during her final years.
When she entrusted the skull to him, she stressed the immense responsibility of caring for it. And it was through her that he came to see the artifact not as a symbol of death or doom, as some would have it, but love and hope.
"It does have a spiritual connotation to the Mayans," Homann said. "It is a tool for mankind. It works on your heart so you realize humanity really is connected.
"When you see it and experience it, you feel the amount of love and work that went into it."
Anna Mitchell-Hedges tried to spread that message, so Homann does, too.
"She wanted me to carry on her tradition," Homann said. "She didn't want it locked up in a museum. She wanted people who were interested in it to see it."
That's why Homann now lectures about the skull so people can experience it.
And where does he store the skull?
Homann grows quiet, saying only this: "It's kept in a safe place."
With "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" about to hit theaters, interest in the skulls is heating up.
Homann was never contacted by anyone involved in the film about the skulls. However, he joined Lester Holt of NBC News for a special, "Mystery of the Crystal Skulls," which airs Sunday, May 18, on Sci-Fi Channel. Holt and Homann were accompanied by a crew as they returned to the Mayan ruins where Anna Mitchell-Hedges found the skull.
In the most unusual turn of events, Homann has been invited by stay on a luxury yacht in Cannes, Frances, during its annual film festival. Homann more than likely will see the "Indiana Jones" movie then.
Homann, himself, can't believe it.
"I'm doing stuff I've never done before," he said. "When I get to be old, I'll get to say, 'Hey, I did this.'"
And whether the new "Indiana Jones" film delves into fact or fiction, Homann is just delighted millions of people now will be familiar with the skulls.
"Anything that lets people have an idea of what the skulls are all about, and what they really mean, then, hey, I'm all for it," he said.
http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=13287&TM=36175.19
The News-Dispatch
CHESTERTON - "Are you ready to see it?" Bill Homann poses that question after spending nearly an hour discussing the Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull, which the daughter of a British adventurer entrusted to him after she died a little more than a year ago.
Homann excuses himself from the living room of his rural Chesterton home, briefly disappearing before returning with the skull, which rests on a tray draped in black velvet. He sets it on a coffee table.
The skull is magnificent.
Made from clear quartz and resembling a small human cranium, the craftsmanship is flawless. The lower jaw detaches, but the detail lavished on the teeth is what is most striking. When the skull captures sunlight filtering into the room, a stunning array of colors erupts within it.
"It's something, isn't it?," Homann asks. "You can see it in a book or a picture, but it's nothing like when you really get to see it."
Homann knows the skull, and most likely himself, will be thrust into the limelight as moviegoers eagerly await "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," which arrives in theaters May 22. That's fine with him. Homann says it is his mission to shed light not just on the skull, but the two people closely associated with it before him.
So how did Homann, a La Porte native, 1964 La Porte High School graduate, 30-year employee of Tri-Electronics, Hammond, Ind., and former karate show host on Michigan City's public-access channel come to possess the skull?
That story is as fascinating as the skull itself.
How many crystal skulls remain is frequently debated. Many are considered pre-Columbian, specifically of Aztec and Mayan civilizations, although that issue comes under frequent debate as well. In some circles, the skulls are viewed as paranormal objects.
Homann's skull was discovered in 1924 by Anna Le Guillon Mitchell-Hedges, daughter of British adventurer and writer F.A. Mitchell-Hedges - allegedly the inspiration behind the Indiana Jones character - beneath a collapsed temple altar in Lubaantun in British Honduras, which is now Belize.
Anna Mitchell-Hedges toured with the skull from 1967 until she died in April 2007. It was during the final eight years of her life that Homann took care of her, and resulted in her passing the skull on to him.
Homann first learned of the skull while stationed in Panama with the U.S. Air Force in 1968. F.A. Mitchell-Hedges was well-known in the area, especially stories of him once riding the canal of a giant squid.
Years later, Homann learned about Anna Mitchell-Hedges and the skull through friends in Chicago, and in 1981 he arranged a meeting with her. They became instant friends, which led to him caring for her during her final years.
When she entrusted the skull to him, she stressed the immense responsibility of caring for it. And it was through her that he came to see the artifact not as a symbol of death or doom, as some would have it, but love and hope.
"It does have a spiritual connotation to the Mayans," Homann said. "It is a tool for mankind. It works on your heart so you realize humanity really is connected.
"When you see it and experience it, you feel the amount of love and work that went into it."
Anna Mitchell-Hedges tried to spread that message, so Homann does, too.
"She wanted me to carry on her tradition," Homann said. "She didn't want it locked up in a museum. She wanted people who were interested in it to see it."
That's why Homann now lectures about the skull so people can experience it.
And where does he store the skull?
Homann grows quiet, saying only this: "It's kept in a safe place."
With "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" about to hit theaters, interest in the skulls is heating up.
Homann was never contacted by anyone involved in the film about the skulls. However, he joined Lester Holt of NBC News for a special, "Mystery of the Crystal Skulls," which airs Sunday, May 18, on Sci-Fi Channel. Holt and Homann were accompanied by a crew as they returned to the Mayan ruins where Anna Mitchell-Hedges found the skull.
In the most unusual turn of events, Homann has been invited by stay on a luxury yacht in Cannes, Frances, during its annual film festival. Homann more than likely will see the "Indiana Jones" movie then.
Homann, himself, can't believe it.
"I'm doing stuff I've never done before," he said. "When I get to be old, I'll get to say, 'Hey, I did this.'"
And whether the new "Indiana Jones" film delves into fact or fiction, Homann is just delighted millions of people now will be familiar with the skulls.
"Anything that lets people have an idea of what the skulls are all about, and what they really mean, then, hey, I'm all for it," he said.
http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=13287&TM=36175.19