US Marine Corps War Memorial with Ira Hayes
The United States Marine Corps War Memorial honors those Marines who gave their lives in service to the nation since November 10, 1775. The Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph that inspired the monument showed six men, including Ira Hayes (Pima), raising the US flag atop Mount Suribachi, symbolizing victory at Iwo Jima and in the World War II Pacific campaign.
Ira Hamilton Hayes (January 12, 1923 - January 24, 1955) was born on the Gila River Indian Reservation in Arizona. At the age of 19, he enlisted in the US Marine Corps Reserves and trained as a parachutist; he was promoted to the rank of corporal in 1945.
On February 23, 1945, Hayes helped to raise the flag at Iwo Jima--an iconic moment captured in film. Over a course of three years, sculptor Felix W. de Weldon used the photograph, along with live modeling by Hayes and others, to construct the 100-ton bronze monument. It was dedicated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1954, on the 179th anniversary of the establishment of the US Marine Corps.
Ira Hayes was buried with full military honors on February 2, 1955. Many continue to pay their respects to this American hero by visiting his gravesite at Arlington National Cemetery, Section 34, Plot 479A.
Get Driving/Transit/Walking/Biking Directions
Explore Sources:
https://www.nps.gov/gwmp/learn/historyculture/usmcwarmemorial.htm
Analostan/Theodore Roosevelt Island
Native peoples built their communities in the Chesapeake Bay area hundreds of years before Washington, DC was established as the nation's capital. Well into the 17th century, the Nacotchtank (also known as the Anacostian, Anaquashtank, and Nacostine) people lived in camps of 300-500 villagers the eastern bank of the Anacostia River, thriving off of the environment's abundant wildlife and participating in the the fur trade in New York. Increasing European presence in modern-day Washington, DC posed a threat to the well-being of these villages and in the 1660's the Nacotchank people sought refuge by relocating their camps less than 10 miles northeast to the isolated Analostan Island.
Located in the Potomac River that divides the District of Columbia and Virginia, Analostan Island, also called Anacostine Island, draws its name from the anglicized version of "Nacotchtank." DC's Anacostia neighborhood draws on this same namesake. In the 1930's, the Theodore Roosevelt Association, conservationists, and landscape architects worked to transform the island into a living monument to the 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevlet.
Today, Theodore Roosevelt Island is managed by the National Park Service and can be accessed via footbridge.
Get Driving/Transit/Walking/Biking Directions
Explore Sources:
https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/01glance/native/html/01native.html
Indigenous Peoples March
On January 18, 2019, the Indigenous Peoples Movement led the Indigenous Peoples March in Washington, DC. The purpose of the march was to address indigenous issues on the global level, such as gun violence, mental health, women's rights, political representation, environmental protections, and international solidarity. March participants followed a route from the Department of the Interior, along Constitution Avenue, to the stairs at the Lincoln Memorial. In addition to song, dance, and prayer, a line up of notable speakers included Rep. Ruth Buffalo (D-ND 27), Rep. Deb Haaland (D-NM), and Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS). Solidarity marches were held in more than ten cities across the United States and abroad.
Get Driving/Transit/Walking/Biking Directions
Explore Sources:
https://www.colorlines.com/articles/indigenous-peoples-march-take-over-washington-dc
Occupation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs
In November 1972, the American Indian Movement's Trail of Broken Treaties campaign culminated in the occupation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs national headquarters. The takeover lasted 7 days in total.
On November 2, a delegation of nearly 1,000 Native activists representing 250 tribal nations arrived in Washington, DC. The group developed as a cross-country caravan that gathered momentum and gained participants as it progressed from its originating points on the West Coast and moved east to the nation's capital. The purpose of the Trail of Broken Treaties was to deliver a 20-point plan to honor treaty rights, restructure the BIA, and improve the living conditions in Native communities.
When government officials denied meetings with the delegation, caravan participants decided to occupy the building as a strategy for having their grievances heard and moving negotiations forward. Despite various attempts by police, security guards, and court order to remove the demonstrators, the group maintained their position until government officials agreed to launch an investigation into the proposed 20 topic issues and issue a report within 30 days. The Native delegation vacated the building on November 8. White House officials additionally recommended that no person involved in the occupation would face prosecution, and provided $66,000 to sponsor the caravan's police escort out of Washington and transportation costs to travel back home.
Get Driving/Transit/Walking/Biking Directions
Explore Sources:
https://www.mnsu.edu/andreas/pdf/MRichardson_BIA_Occupation_AEJMC_Paper.pdf
Department of the Interior Murals
Created as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, the Depression-era murals at the Department of the Interior building depict both social and ceremonial aspects of Native American life.
Kiowa painter James Auchiah (1906-1974), also known as Tse Koy Ate, was one of the most prominent artists commissioned to construct murals in the Department of the Interior building in 1939. Born and raised in Oklahoma, Auchiah rose to international acclaim as a member of the Kiowa artist group known as the Kiowa Six. Auchiah's works helped to spread Native American, and specifically Kiowa, art to global audiences. He went on to study art at the University of Oklahoma and completed commissions for the Department of the Interior, the Oklahoma Historical Society, and St. Patrick's Mission School; his work remains in collections around the country.
Get Driving/Transit/Walking/Biking Directions
Explore Sources:
Mural of Piscataway History and Culture
In 2018, artist Joerael Numina collaborated with the local Piscataway community in order to design a spray-painted mural for the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at the George Washington University. The mural weaves together symbols and representations of Piscataway culture and history, rendered through graffiti-style "handskrit" writing, international tribal symbols of spirituality, and Piscataway community-specific motifs.
Viewers should note that the eagle and condor represent cross-border solidarity between the indigenous peoples of North and South America, the nude-toned rainbow alludes to the diversity of appearances amongst indigenous peoples, feathers contain spiritual significance, images of activism remind onlookers of the ongoing political engagement of Native peoples, and the words "land" and "stolen" reference the history of colonization and indigenous homelands in Washington, DC.
“It wasn’t the Piscataway that were here, the Piscataway still live here,” Numina noted. “That’s part of what I’ve learned through them. A lot of people think, in the history books they’re taught – the people who were once here – but they still exist.”
“What I appreciate about Joerael’s mural is that it demonstrates the complexity and contemporary presence of our people and our stories,” reflected Sebastian Medina-Tayac (Piscataway).
The installation at the Flagg Building is part of Numina's larger "Mobilize Walls" series, a project that will create 420 million square feet--the same size of President Donald Trump's proposed border wall--of murals. The artist has also completed murals in Albuquerque and New York City as part of "Mobilize Walls."
Get Driving/Transit/Walking/Biking Directions
Explore Source:
Artifacts on White House South Lawn & Ellipse
In 1975, President Gerald Ford installed a swimming pool on White House grounds, an action that would unveil the indigenous history of the city. Studies of the excavated White House lands by National Park Service curator Robert S. Marshall that year revealed a number of Indian artifacts, including 17 pieces of quartz/quartzite, two quartz projectile points, a piece of broken pottery, and a fragment of biface. Additional archaeological studies of the White House ellipse in 1976 similarly found an assortment of objects from a range of historical periods, spanning at least from the Archaic to Late Woodlands periods.
These findings offer archaeological evidence of the fact that DC was constructed on Indian homelands with a long and even ancient history. As William Henry Holmes, a noted city archaeologist, observed that similar artifacts are so prevalent in the area that "the laborer who sits by the wayside breaking boulders for our streets passes them by the thousands beneath his hammer; it is literally true that in this city, the capital of a civilized nation is paved with [indigenous] art remains."
Get Driving/Transit/Walking/Biking Directions
Explore Sources:
Native Nations March
On March 10, 2017, Native activists broke records by holding a demonstration with a record participant turn out. The Native Nations March, sponsored by activist group Native Nations Rise and led by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, unfolded as a procession of approximately ten thousands marchers who sang, prayed, and called for action as they moved along the National Mall. The march followed three days of lobbying in support of environmental protections.
Such strong participation is attributed to the heightened awareness and momentum surrounding the protest of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) and the resulting Standing Rock movement. Activists used the march to call on President Donald Trump to acknowledge treaty rights, enforce tribal consent, and protect life-giving waters.
Longtime activist and historian Gabrielle Tayac (Piscataway) said that the Native Nations March represented the largest Native-led demonstration in DC history.
Get Driving/Transit/Walking/Biking Directions
Explore Sources:
Dumbarton Bridge
Decades before Washington developed as the nation's capital, Georgetown existed autonomously. These neighboring cities merged in 1871, and Dumbarton Bridge (also known as Buffalo Bridge) was erected to increase accessibility between the two.
Native American motifs were incorporated into the bridge by designer Glenn Brown, who used the structure to both beautify the city and pay homage to the closed American frontier. City Beautiful design theory inspired the bridge's decorative components and stylistic elements, and Alexander Phimister Proctor's bronze buffalo sculptures serve to bring American western character to the capital.
Lining the bridge's sides are 56 busts of Oglala Lakota leader Matȟó Wanáȟtake, also known as Kicking Bear (1846-1904). Kicking Bear was a long-time advocate for his people and took on roles as a warrior, spiritual leader, and delegate elected by his community to represent tribal interests in DC. While working in Washington, Kicking Bear collaborated with Smithsonian anthropologists to create a "life mask" replica of his bust. This cast was later used to create decorative elements during the 1910's construction of Dumbarton Bridge.
Reflecting on the significance of the bridge, Professor Joseph Genetin-Pilawa notes the irony of the architect's intentions to address American nostalgia for the "vanishing" Indian but how, in doing so, he forever enshrined the likeness of an anti-colonial warrior on the city's built environment.
Get Driving/Transit/Walking/Biking Directions
Explore Sources:
https://blogs.weta.org/boundarystones/2017/12/12/forgotten-fight-kicking-bear-and-dumbarton-bridge
https://www.washingtonpost.com/?utm_term=.c43cf0842fcc
https://ggwash.org/view/6132/the-interesting-story-of-the-dumbarton-bridge
Embassy of Tribal Nations
Located amidst foreign embassies and diplomatic headquarters, the National Congress of Americans opened the Embassy of Tribal Nations on November 3, 2009. The purpose of this embassy is to raise awareness of sovereign tribal nations, establish a presence of tribal governments near Embassy Row, and providing a meeting and gathering space for those tribal bodies and their partners. The establishment of the embassy has been a project in the making for nearly 30 years.
The facilities include 17,000 square-feet of office space, workstations for tribal leaders visiting DC, and numerous art features throughout the space. Opening day brought 70 tribal leaders and hundreds of members of the public to share in traditional foods, enjoy powwow dance, and offer a ceremonial blessing.
“It’s a new time, it’s a new era,” said Ernie Stevens Jr. (Oneida Nation of Wisconsin), chairman of the National Indian Gaming Association, "We call this Indian country in Washington, D.C. – right here, right now. I think it’s going to make a difference. This is our home.”
Get Driving/Transit/Walking/Biking Directions
Explore Source:
http://www.ncai.org/about-ncai/embassy-of-tribal-nations
https://www.oregonlive.com/race/2009/11/tribal_embassy_opens_in_washin.html
Cowboy and Indian Alliance Camp
In an act of solidarity between farmers, ranchers, and tribes, the Cowboy and Indian Alliance demonstration protested the Keystone XL pipeline and championed environmental protections, specifically focusing on the at-risk Ogallala Aquifer. On April 22, 2014, the Alliance kicked off its week-long demonstration by riding horseback along the National Mall, and raising teepees and erecting a camp in front of the US Capitol Building. Approximately 5,000 attendees participated in the activities.
Get Driving/Transit/Walking/Biking Directions
Explore Sources:
https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/cowboy-and-indian-alliance-stands-against-pipeline/15/
https://time.com/71666/keystone-xl-pipeline-protest-washington/
Spirit of Haida Gwaii: The Black Canoe
Internationally-acclaimed Canadian artist Bill Reid (Haida) began work on The Spirit of Haida Gwaii: The Black Canoe in 1985. The piece was donated to the Government of Canada and installed at the Canadian embassy in 1991. Haida Gwaii refers to the archipelago community also known as the Queen Charlotte Islands: the location of Haida heritage sites and homelands. Weighing 5.5-tons, the bronze sculpture with black patina depicts a crew of characters from Haida stories and spirituality journeying together in a traditional cedar cutout canoe.
Thirteen figures are present in the canoe: the Bear, Bear Mother, Good Bear, and Bad Bear family; the magical and mysterious Dogfish Woman; the elusive Mouse Woman; the traditional Raven trickster figure; the resilient Ancient Reluctant Conscript; the Beaver, Raven's hardworking uncle; the imaginary but ever-important Wolf; the proud Eagle, the Frog which, like the Haida, navigates the land and sea; and the central human figure, the Haida Kilstlaai (chief/shaman.)
A counterpart sculpture, contrasted by its emerald green patina finishing, was commissioned by the Vancouver International Airport in 1994. The Spirit of Haida Gwaii is regarded as Reid's largest and most complex sculpture.
Get Driving/Transit/Walking/Biking Directions
Explore Sources:
https://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/haida-gwaii-sculpture-in-washington
https://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/09/books/a-noah-s-ark-of-the-north.html
National Museum of the American Indian
The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian is perhaps the most well-known, visible, and prominent indigenous sites in Washington, DC. The discovery of tens of thousands of indigenous objects of patrimony and human remains in the Smithsonian collections prompted Sen. Daniel Inouye to sponsor the National Museum of the American Indian Act in 1989. Fifteen years later, in 2004, the NMAI opened its doors to 250,000-square feet of exhibit space, community gathering areas, Native foods cafe, arts and crafts shop, theater, and collections. NMAI's collections and exhibitions span from the Arctic Circle to the southernmost tip of Argentina, covering the entirety of the Western Hemisphere. The architecture, landscape, and design elements were largely created to be informed by and culturally-relevant to indigenous peoples.
Of particular interest to local indigenous history, the "Return to a Native Place: Algonquian Peoples of the Chesapeake" exhibit tells the story of the Piscataway, Nanticoke, and Powhatan and their homelands in present-day Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, DC.
In addition to its museum on the National Mall, the NMAI also includes the George Gustav Heye Center in New York City and the Cultural Resources Center in Suiteland, Maryland.
Get Driving/Transit/Walking/Biking Directions
Explore Sources:
https://americanindian.si.edu/explore/exhibitions/item?id=535
Native American Veterans Memorial
Commissioned by Congress in 2013, the National Native American Veterans Memorial will honor American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian veterans who serve in all branches of the US Armed Forces. The memorial is expected to debut on Veterans Day 2020.
A US Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam, Harvey Pratt (Cheyenne and Arapaho) designed the memorial. Constructed as a stainless steel hoop atop a stone drum, the design encourages visitor participation by incorporating water elements for ceremonial purposes, seating for reflection, and lances upon which to place prayer ties. The memorial's advisory committee and museum also conducted 35 community consultations seeking input on design elements.
Native Americans enlist in the Armed Forces at per capita rates higher than any other ethnic group (18.6%, compared to14% of all other ethnicities.) Native women also serve at a higher percentage than the national average (11.5%, compared to 8%.) Thirty-one thousand Native service members are currently on active duty, and there are more than 141,000 Native veterans living today.
Get Driving/Transit/Walking/Biking Directions
Explore Sources:
https://americanindian.si.edu/nnavm/heroes/
https://americanindian.si.edu/support/national-native-american-veterans-memorial
Native Leader Statues at US Capitol
A number of Native American senators and representatives have served in the United States Congress. The United States Capitol Building also contains dozens of paintings, sculptures, and murals featuring various scenes of Indian history. Among the most notable of these are the statues of Native American historical leaders in the National Statuary Hall Collection. Visitors can see the majority of these statues on display in Emancipation Hall, with others located in the National Statuary Hall and on the second floor of the House connecting corridor.
The statues in Emancipation Hall include:
King Kamehameha I, founder and ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii
Po'pay, leader of the 1680 Pueblo Revolt against Spanish colonial rule
Sakakawea, the Shoshone leader of the Lewis and Clark expedition
Chief Washake, Shoshone statesman, warrior, and negotiator of the Treaty of Fort Laramie of 1851
Sarah Winnemucca, the Paiute spokesperson, author, and interpreter
Get Driving/Transit/Walking/Biking Directions
Explore Sources:
https://www.aoc.gov/capitol-hill/native-americans-art
https://www.aoc.gov/art/national-statuary-hall-collection/kamehameha-i
https://www.aoc.gov/art/national-statuary-hall-collection/popay
https://www.aoc.gov/art/national-statuary-hall-collection/will-rogers
https://www.aoc.gov/art/national-statuary-hall-collection/sakakawea
https://www.aoc.gov/art/national-statuary-hall-collection/sequoyah
https://www.aoc.gov/art/national-statuary-hall-collection/washakie
https://www.aoc.gov/art/national-statuary-hall-collection/sarah-winnemucca
Liberty and Freedom Lummi Totem Poles
Created to honor of those who lost their lives in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the Liberty and Freedom totem poles were dedicated by the Lummi Nation on September 23, 2004. As the poles traveled 4,500 miles from Washington State to Washington, DC, the poles visited approximately 40 tribal nations to receive blessings. The poles were then placed at the Pentagon temporarily before being relocated to its permanent home at the Congressional Cemetery.
Master carver Jewell Praying Wolf James (Lummi) imbued the poles with symbolism. The house-like structure evokes a sense of national unity, and the red, yellow, black, and white color scheme celebrates the ethnic and cultural diversity of the United States. Two eagles, symbols of courage, carved into the crossbar have seven feathers on their wings to represent the American Airlines Flight 77 that was crashed in the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon.
The Lummi Nation dedicated two additional memorials at the other sites of the attacks: Healing in New York, and Honoring in Shankesville, Pennsylvania.
Get Driving/Transit/Walking/Biking Directions
Explore Sources:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/timevanson/8165581373
https://www.flickr.com/photos/153297286@N05/29656946028/in/dateposted-public/
Tribal Delegates at Congressional Cemetery
The Congressional Cemetery, founded in 1807, is the resting site of 36 Native American delegates, dignitaries, and advocates, and their families, who passed on while working on behalf of their people in the nation's capital. These individuals came to Washington as representatives of twelve tribal nations.
In alphabetical order by tribe:
Arapaho: Taza (chief)
Cherokee: Charlotte J. Coodey, Henrietta Jane Coodey, William Shorey Coodey (legislator), Judge Richard Fields (judge and administrator), Joseph V. Hitchcock, Captain John Looney, Captain James McDaniel (delegate and senator), Susan Agnes Paschal, Captain Thomas Pegg (senator and associate judge), Child Rogers, Captain John Rogers (principal chief), Johnson K. Rogers (attorney), Ezekial Starr (delegate), Bluford West (judge)
Chippewa: A Moose or Little Bee (head chief), Osk Kaw Bu Wis (chief and delegate), St. Germain (chief and delegate)
Choctaw: Emmett Kennedy, Lee Pitchlynn, Peter P. Pitchlynn (delegate), Sophia Pitchlynn (princess), Thomas Pitchlynn, Samson Pitchlynn, Push-Ma-Ta-Ha (chief and diplomat)
Creek: Daniel S. Aspberry (delegate), Efar Emarthlar (delegate)
Dakota: Kan Ya Tu Duta (US Army scout, delegate)
Kiowa: O Com O Cost (delegate), Waub-O-Jeag (delegate)
Lakota: Frederick D. Broken Rope
Nez Perce: Ut Sin Malikan (delegate)
Pawnee: Tuk A Lix Tah (delegate), Oscar Carey (performer)
Sac and Fox: QuahQuahMahPeQuah (delegate)
Winnebago: Prophet (delegate)
Get Driving/Transit/Walking/Biking Directions
Explore Sources:
https://www.capitolhillhistory.org/lectures/native-americans-who-never-left-capitol-hill
https://www.congressionalcemetery.org/pdf/Walking-Tours/American%20Indian.pdf
https://blog.nmai.si.edu/main/2013/01/introducing-buried-history-edition-1-foul-play.html
https://blog.nmai.si.edu/main/2013/04/buried-history-hear-me-my-chiefs.html
