Native Americans serve at a greater rate than any other ethnic group in the United States. As such, the National Native American Veterans Memorial honors the military service of Native Americans. It is located on the grounds of the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C. It opened on November 11th, 2020, which was Veteran’s Day that year.
The memorial features a 12-foot in diameter stainless-steel circle perched on a 20-inch high stone drum, which is a design concept called Warriors’ Circle of Honor. The circle that is central to the memorial is important to all Native cultures. Harvey Pratt, the designer of the memorial, explains that “it’s the cycle of life, it’s the cycle of the seasons, it’s the sun and the moon, it’s the earth, it’s kivas, it’s tipis, dance circles”, showing the significance of the circle. The design also incorporates water for sacred ceremonies, benches for gathering and reflection, and four lances where veterans, family members, tribal leaders, and others can tie cloths for prayers and healing. There are 13 Native American veteran songs from the Ojibwe, Menominee, Blackfeet, Ho-Chunk, Kiowa, and Lakota Nations that play throughout one’s visit.
It was designed by Harvey Pratt, a veteran who served in Vietnam from 1962 to 1965 and is from the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma. Pratt is a self-taught artist whose works frequently include themes of Native American tradition and history as well as the Cheyenne people. He was recognized by the Cheyenne People as an outstanding Southern Cheyenne and was inducted as a traditional Peace Chief—the Cheyenne Nation’s highest honor.