The National Native American Veterans Memorial

Congress commissioned the National Museum of the American Indian in 2012 to honor Native American servicemen and women with a prominent memorial on the grounds of the museum located on the National Mall.

Description
Congress commissioned the National Museum of the American Indian in 2012 to honor Native American servicemen and women with a prominent memorial on the grounds of the museum located on the National Mall, a place that draws nearly 24 million visitors annually to the nation’s capital. Since then, the museum has been working with Native American veterans, tribal leaders, historians and cultural experts to consult on the needs that the memorial should express.
In 2015, the museum established an advisory committee composed of Native American leaders and veterans. Co-chaired by former Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (Northern Cheyenne) and Chickasaw Nation Lt. Gov. Jefferson Keel, the museum began consulting American Indian Nations across the country to gather input and support. Campbell, a Korean War veteran, is one of the few Native Americans to serve in the U.S. Congress.
“This is a tremendously important effort to recognize Native Americans’ service to this nation,” Campbell said. “Like so many others, I was compelled to serve to honor the warrior tradition that is inherent to most Native American societies—the pillars of strength, honor, pride, devotion and wisdom.”

Jury
Larry Ulaaq Ahvakana (Inupiaq), artist, Ahvakana Fine Art
Stephanie Birdwell (Cherokee), director, Veterans Affairs, Office of Tribal Government Relations
Johnnetta Betsch Cole, director emerita, Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art
Edwin Fountain, general counsel, American Battle Monuments Commission
Mark Kawika McKeague (Native Hawaiian), director of cultural planning, Group 70 International Inc.
Brian McCormack (Nez Perce), principal landscape architect, McCormack Landscape Architecture
Lillian Pitt (Wasco/Yakima/Warm Springs), artist
Herman Viola, curator emeritus, Smithsonian
Kevin Gover (Pawnee), alternate juror, director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian

Prize
Advance to the second stage

Entry Fee
None $50

Timetable
The finalists announcement: Jan. 25, 2018
The memorial is scheduled to open Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2020.

Organizer
The National Museum of the American Indian

Official Website