NATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN VETERANS MEMORIAL

The memorial is open every day, 24 hours a day.

No. Entry to the memorial is free.

No. Tickets are not required to visit the memorial.

Tours are not available at this time.

Private ceremonies or visits to the memorial cannot be scheduled at this time. The museum is operating with a reduced staff and cannot assist you with the arrangements necessary for a ceremony. Should you like to conduct a ceremony at the memorial, you must adhere to capacity and social distancing guidelines. Please note that we cannot guarantee any privacy for the ceremony, since the memorial is open to the public.

Individuals and groups may host ceremonies at the memorial, though the museum cannot schedule private ceremonies or private visits to the memorial nor assist visitors with the arrangements necessary for a ceremony. Should you like to conduct a ceremony at the memorial, you must adhere to capacity guidelines. Please note that the museum cannot guarantee any privacy for the ceremony, since the memorial is open to the public.

The museum lights the flame on Veterans Day and Memorial Day and other occasions that honor the sacrifice and service of Native veterans.

The museum cannot schedule private visits to the memorial at this time. The museum is operating with a reduced staff and cannot assist you with arranging a private visit.

The museum has a limited number of wheelchairs available free on a first-come, first-served basis for use inside the museum, but they may not be used outdoors at the memorial. Wheelchair and scooter rental is available through local vendors.

Please note that while on Smithsonian property, no visitor shall carry firearms, other dangerous or deadly weapons, or explosives, either openly or concealed on the premises. The prohibition on firearms applies to all visitors, including those with firearm permits, but not to active law enforcement personnel authorized to carry firearms. Certain ceremonial items that may be considered weapons will need to be reviewed upon arrival. Sharp edges, points, or blades on weapons must be covered with protective material.

These security measures ensure visitor safety as well as the protection of objects in the museum. View a list of permitted and prohibited items in the museum. If you are planning to visit other Smithsonian museums during your time in Washington, DC, please visit the Smithsonian Institution’s website for additional tips for visiting.

No. Throughout the memorial design consultation process, the museum found that many Native veterans consulted did not wish to include tribal identification and/or names of Native veterans on the memorial. Since the memorial is timeless and dedicated to all Native veterans—past, present, and future—names and specific tribal identification are not included in the design.

The National Native American Veterans Memorial was designed by Harvey Pratt, a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma and a Southern Cheyenne Peace Chief. Pratt is an artist, Marine Corps Vietnam veteran, and retired forensic artist. Pratt designed the memorial in partnership with award-winning architectural firm Butzer Architects and Urbanism.

The design goals for the memorial grew out of an extensive outreach and consultation process. Beginning in 2015, the museum worked with the National Congress of American Indians and other Native organizations to create an advisory committee composed of tribal leaders, Native veterans, and their family members to assist with outreach to Native American communities and veterans. The museum and advisory committee conducted 35 community consultations across the nation to seek input and support for the memorial. These events resulted in a shared vision and set of design principles that informed the competition.

In 2017, the museum launched an international competition for the memorial’s design. More than 120 proposals from across the globe were submitted. In 2018, eight distinguished jurors selected five concepts by six finalists (James Dinh, the team of Dan Jones and Kelly Haney, Harvey Pratt, Stefanie Rocknak, and Leroy Transfield). Later that year, the competition concluded when the jury unanimously selected Harvey Pratt’s design, the Warriors’ Circle of Honor.

The focal point of the memorial is a large, vertical stainless-steel circle, sitting atop a low, carved stone drum form, at the center of a circular gathering space. Water flows continuously outward from the center of the drum, and a fire may be lit at the base of the steel circle on ceremonial occasions. A circular seating area may be entered at the four cardinal directions from a surrounding walkway called the Path of Harmony, respecting different cultural practices regarding the appropriate direction from which to enter the central space. There are four vertical spears or lances where visitors may leave prayer ties. The seals of the five branches of the armed forces are on a nearby wall.

The memorial is set within the living landscape to the east of the museum, at the edge of the upland hardwood forest, overlooking the freshwater wetland. A meandering walkway known as the Path of Life leads visitors to the memorial, allowing them time to prepare themselves as they approach it. Veterans and families expressed a preference for a quiet place on the grounds of the museum. The trees surrounding the memorial and the water nearby help to separate it from the noise and traffic of the city.

The memorial is meant to be timeless and inclusive, honoring all Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian veterans, as well as the families who support them. The circular design suggests a sacred circle, the cycles of time and life, and the movement of the stars and planets. The circle is relevant to many Native American cultures in the shape of a drum and of circles for dance, storytelling, and prayer. The memorial incorporates the elements of fire, representing strength, courage, endurance, and comfort; water, signifying purification and prayer; earth, which provides people with all they need; and the wind that will carry the prayers and memories of visitors skyward.

The water pulsing across the surface of the drum is echoed by concentric rings in the stone of the walkways, suggesting the beat of a drum calling people to gather within the circle. The National Native American Veterans Memorial is a welcoming space for gathering, reflection, healing, and remembrance, a place to honor the sacrifices and service of generations of Native veterans.

Prayer cloths are used by many Native people as a symbol of their spirituality. Some may contain tobacco and be tied as a bundle. Others are strips of cloth. They should not be touched or removed by visitors.

Playing on a continuous loop are thirteen Native American veteran songs from the Ojibwe, Menominee, Blackfeet, Ho-Chunk, Kiowa, and Lakota Nations from the Smithsonian Folkways recording, American Warriors: Songs for Indian Veterans.

The NMAI accepts donations of items that enhance its permanent collections; not all objects offered for donation are accepted. To submit a donation or purchase offer to the NMAI, complete and submit an Acquisition Proposal and attachments for consideration. Please do not bring the item(s) that you want to donate to the memorial. The NMAI does not keep or acquire any items left at the memorial.

The NMAI does not keep or acquire any offerings left at the memorial. Offerings left are disposed of respectfully in an appropriate manner, including Native American cultural practices for organic offerings. No offerings are photographed, catalogued, or otherwise documented by the NMAI.

Yes. When tying a prayer cloth to the memorial, please do not touch or remove other prayer cloths that have been attached before yours.

In 2013, Congress passed legislation authorizing the NMAI to create a National Native American Veterans Memorial to give "all Americans the opportunity to learn of the proud and courageous tradition of service of Native Americans in the Armed Forces of the United States."

The legislation from Congress did not allow for any federal funding to be used for the construction of the memorial. Funding for the memorial came from individuals, organizations, and Native Nations. We gratefully acknowledge their generosity and commitment to the National Native American Veterans Memorial project.

Continue to visit this site for the latest information. For additional information, please contact the Office of Special Events, National Museum of the American Indian, at NNAVMDedication@si.edu or 202-633-7020.

Sign up to receive email updates about the memorial.