Tuesday, February 07, 2017

National Museum Of The American Indian Plans To Build Native American Veterans Memorial

DCist
Lauren Landau, February 3, 2017

"By 2021, visitors to the National Mall should have another military monument to add to their tour. But unlike the WWII or Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the National Native American Veterans Memorial will pay tribute not to a specific conflict, but to the service of an entire ethnic group.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) and National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) are leading the effort to publicly and permanently honor Native warriors with a prominent memorial on the museum's grounds.

Rebecca Trautmann, project coordinator for the National Native American Veterans Memorial Project, says fundraising is still in the early stages, but the plan is to raise $15 million.

What the memorial will look like will be decided through a design competition. But before the museum and NCAI invite artists to submit their ideas, they’re asking veterans for theirs.

“We’re visiting tribal communities across the country, including Alaska and Hawaii, to talk with tribal leaders and Native veterans to share plans for the memorial and to hear from them about their experiences serving in the military, Trautmann says. Organizers are also asking, “about the reasons they chose to serve and about their recommendations for what this memorial needs to convey to the public about this tradition of service.”"

More here.

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