WASHINGTON — A new memorial for Native American veterans on the National Mall was dedicated Wednesday as a place for those veterans, their families and others to honor the service of Native Americans to their country.
“Long before we were U.S. citizens, many of our veterans enlisted to defend our sacred homelands and the fundamental values of freedom, equality, liberty and justice,” said Fawn Sharp, president of the National Congress of American Indians.
The memorial honors all Native Americans who have served in the military as well as Hawaiian and Alaskan natives.
“The veterans that we worked with developing this memorial wanted to be sure that it was a place for all, said Kevin Gover, director of the National Museum of the American Indian.
“A place for veterans, for their families, a place for those who simply want to learn about this tradition of military service among native people.”
Congress authorized the memorial in 1994, 10 years before the National Museum of the American Indian opened. In 2013, Congress amended the legislation and work began shortly afterward.
“We spent a long time consulting with native veterans and family and community members to get a better sense of what they want to see in the memorial, and what the experience of visiting it should be,” said memorial project curator Rebecca Trentmann.
To separate it from the noise of the city, the memorial is placed in a wooded landscape surrounded by trees and vegetation on the grounds of the National Museum of the American Indian.
The designer of the memorial, Harvey Pratt, was chosen from 413 applicants from around the world. Pratt is a recognized Cheyenne and Arapaho tribal member. He served in Vietnam as a member of the Marine Corps in 1963.
Pratt designed the memorial to be in harmony with the elements: water, fire, earth and air.
The design puts an emphasis on points on the compass that have special meanings for native people. For example: yellow feathers in the northwest represent mother earth, black feathers in the northeast represent native ancestors, red feathers in the southwest represent the creator and white feathers in the southeast represent each new day.
“That’s where the sun comes up. It allows you to start your life all over again and be a better person than you were yesterday,” Pratt said.
Pratt said the ring in the middle serves as a portal to the creator. “Our prayers go through there and his answers come back to us.”
Pratt was humble about his accomplishments but said people remind him often that his work will forever be in this historic location.
“It’s really hard to think that my work will be near the Washington (Monument), the Lincoln, the Jefferson and could be the last one added to the Mall,” Pratt said.
There are plans for an in-person ceremony at the memorial when it is safe to gather again.
To watch the full Veterans Day ceremony go to this link.
https://americanindian.si.edu/visit/washington/nnavm