A blast from the past: the National Museum of the American Indian shortly before its opening in September 2004. File photo by Indianz.Com

The National Museum of the American Indian is raising $15 million to design and build a memorial to Indian veterans.

The memorial will be located on the NMAI's property on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Director Kevin Gover, a member of the Pawnee Nation, said the tentative opening is set for Veterans Day of 2019.

“As many more of these stories are known, people will begin to ponder that these people who had been so terribly wronged by the United States throughout history were nevertheless patriots and believed in the promise of the United States,” Gover told Indian Country Today. “It gives me chills to think about that, to wonder at it and be awed by it.”

Gover held a kick-off for the memorial at the National Congress of American Indians annual convention in San Diego, California, last month. Tribes and tribal organizations pledged $20,000 at the event, ICT reported.

H.R.2319, the Native American Veterans' Memorial Amendments Act of 2013, authorized NMAI to move forward with the project.

Get the Story:
‘Gives Me Chills’ Veterans Memorial From Native Perspective (Indian Country Today 11/11)

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