Commemorating Those Who Serve: Celebrating the Long-Awaited Dedication of the National Native American Veterans Memorial

ThorneLE — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 19:00:00 +0000

Memorial

From Issue: Fall 2023 / Vol. 24 No. 3

by Anne Bolen

Veterans Day 2022 is a day that lives on in the memories of the thousands who attended a ceremony to dedicate the National Native American Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Indigenous veterans and their community and family members gathered on November 11 at the National Museum of the American Indian to celebrate the memorial’s completion in 2020 and recognize the sacrifice of all American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian men and women who have served in the U.S. military since the Revolutionary War. The weekend that followed was filled with events that underscored their contributions.

With the U.S. Capitol behind them, Alexis Raeana (Lumbee) and Charly Lowry (Tuscarora/Lumbee) sang the national anthem at the National Native American Veterans Memorial's dedication.

Photo by NMAI Staff

Taking the Journey Together

Community and family members as well as other supporters proudly marched alongside more than 1,700 veterans and service men and women from some 120 Native nations in a two-hour procession. Participants started at the museum and then winded around a portion of the National Mall before ending at the ceremony’s stage in front of the U.S. Capitol.

Many of those who joined the procession carried signs honoring veterans and photos of lost loved ones.

Photo by NMAI Staff

A U.S. Air Force veteran carries an eagle staff during the procession.

Photo by NMAI Staff

A color guard carries the flags of the United States, Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute Tribes as well as Colorado.

Photo by NMAI Staff

Navajo Marine veteran Thomas Begay (center) was among those who marched. He is one of the last living "code talkers" who developed an unbreakable code using the Navajo language that helped defeat Axis forces during World War II.

Photo by Matailong Du for the NMAI

Service members and veterans from all branches of the military joined the procession.

Photo by NMAI Staff

Service members and veterans from all branches of the military joined the procession.

Photo by NMAI Staff

A Star Lineup

Around 4 p.m., Chickasaw Nation veteran and astronaut John Herrington (far right) opened the dedication ceremony with veteran, actor and filmmaker Wes Studi (Cherokee, in black next to Herrington). Charly Lowry (Lumbee/Tuscarora) and Alexis Raeana (Lumbee) sang the national anthem and Kiowa Vietnam veteran Robert Short (at podium) offered an invocation before Smithsonian and U.S. government leaders remarked on the memorial's historic recognition of the contributions of Indigenous veterans to the United States and their communities.

Photo by NMAI Staff

Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie Bunch spoke at the dedication.

Photo by Matailong Du for the NMAI

U.S. Representative Sharice Davids (Ho-Chunk/Winnebago) of Kansas, whose mother is an Army veteran, also spoke at the dedication. Davids thanked all who have served: "I just appreciate you so much for protecting our freedoms."

Photo by NMAI Staff

A Light in the Darkness

National Native American Veterans Memorial designer Harvey Pratt, a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma and a Marine Corps veteran, spoke about the origin and meaning of his design before the flame at the drum-shaped base of the memorial was lit at dusk. Indigenous communities throughout the nation offered input and support toward the its creation. Pratt has described the towering stainless-steel circle that is the centerpiece of the memorial as representing “the hole in the sky where the Creator lives.”

Director Chavez Lamar stood next to memorial designer Harvey Pratt (in black vest at right) as he and other veterans saluted the ceremonial flame. Pratt said, “This memorial is about warriors of the past, warriors of today and warriors of tomorrow.”

Photo by NMAI Staff

A lance flanks each of the north and south entrances to the center of the memorial, to which visitors can tie “prayer cloths” in remembrance of those who have died. Memorial designer Harvey Pratt said, as the wind blows them, "it shakes that prayer out again.”

Photo by NMAI Staff

An Ongoing Celebration

Native American Women Warriors, all veterans of the U.S. armed forces, opened the memorial dedication celebration weekend with the Presentation of the Colors—flags that included one representing those prisoners of war still missing. The festivities continued throughout the weekend with events for attendees to learn about the histories of Native veterans while enjoying cultural and musical performances.

Photo by Matailong Du for the NMAI

Retired Lt. Colonel and Comanche Nation Chairman Mark Woommavovah reads his book “Little Indian Runner” to young visitors as part of the activities offered to families at the museum.

Photo by Matailong Du for the NMAI

Attendees could also write postcards to active-duty service members.

Photo by Matailong Du for the NMAI

The Morongo Bird Singers (Morongo Band of Mission Indians) sang while shaking gourds, performing a traditional song of their tribe at the weekend celebration at the museum.

Photo by Matailong Du for the NMAI

The Akwesasne Women Singers (Mohawk) was another traditional group who performed at the celebration.

Photo by NMAI Staff

Veteran, actor and filmmaker Wes Studi (Cherokee) joined the stage with eclectic folk, rock and blues musician Keith Secola (Ojibwe), one of the many contemporary artists whose music filled the museum during the weekend celebration.

Photo by NMAI Staff

Visitors can relive the procession and memorial dedication ceremony at AmericanIndian.si.edu/visit/washington/nnavm-dedication.

Authors

Anne Bolen

Anne Bolen is executive editor of American Indian magazine.

Reflect and Remember

KlingbielEL — Mon, 04 Oct 2021 21:48:49 +0000

Memorial

Reflect and Remember

From Issue: Fall 2021 / Vol. 22 No. 3

by Anne Bolen

The past year has been one of loss for many. COVID-19 has taken its toll on families, elders, medical personnel, caregivers and veterans. While the pandemic has yet prevented the National Museum of the American Indian from publicly commemorating the opening of the National Native American Veterans Memorial on its Washington, D.C., grounds, the memorial has been no less impactful for those who have had the opportunity to experience it—and it is an experience.

The granite wall adjacent to the National Native American Veterans Memorial features emblems for branches of the U.S. military: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard.

Photo by Matailong Du for NMAI

The memorial offers a peaceful space for contemplation. After walking a tree-lined path, you can approach the centerpiece of the memorial from any one of four directions through openings in low granite walls. At the base of the steel circle is a reflecting pool. Visitors can stand or sit on the nearby benches. The hoop is also flanked by large metal spears on which prayer cloths can be tied.

Since the memorial’s opening on Veterans Day 2020, many visitors have left prayer cloths and brought other items with them to honor the veterans they have known. One group of Vietnam War veterans dipped the dog tags of their fallen Native comrade into the water before leaving with them. These veterans said they thought they “owed it to him,” recalled NMAI’s Elizabeth Gordon, who helped manage the building of the memorial. In this way, the memorial is not a static object but rather becomes alive with the memories of those who come here. As Gordon says, “It is a place for people’s stories.”

The memorial is open to all visitors, Native and non-Native alike. This image shows a shadow of a visitor on the Virginia mist granite wall behind the memorial, which features emblems for branches of the military, displayed in order according to U.S. Department of Defense protocol: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. That shadow seems to encapsulate those who are gone but not forgotten. Those who have served in any capacity for our communities and county, on or off the battlefield, are always with us. Rather than follow us, however, they continue to lead us, inspiring us to go forward.

We look forward to being able to welcome all who wish to attend the dedication of the National Native American Veterans Memorial, currently scheduled for November 11, 2022.

Authors

Anne Bolen

Anne Bolen is executive editor of American Indian magazine.