Graton Rancheria donates $1.5 million to Smithsonian’s Native American Veterans Memorial

The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria have donated $1.5 million to the Smithsonian’s National Native American Veterans Memorial, topping off the National Museum of the American Indian’s $15 million fundraising goal for the project.

The memorial, which honors American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian veterans and their families, is the first national landmark in Washington, D.C. to recognize Native contributions and service to the military, according to a Smithsonian press release.

The Sonoma County-based Graton tribe’s donation was the largest to the project and helped finish funding for the construction of the memorial, said Danielle Lote, the museum’s acting associate director for advancement.

“We’re extremely grateful to the Graton Rancheria and really to all of the supporters of the project,” Lote said. “But Chairman (Greg) Sarris holds a special place in our hearts for helping us to reach our goal.”

Sarris, an endowed professor at Sonoma State University who teaches American Indian Literature and serves as a museum trustee, decided to donate the remaining money needed after an advisory committee presentation about the memorial funding, Lote said.

In 2013, Congress passed legislation authorizing the museum 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,“ according to their website.

The museum began fundraising in 2013. Construction of the memorial began in 2016 and was completed summer of 2020. The memorial has been officially opened to public in since November 2020. A dedication will be held next Veteran’s Day on Nov. 11, 2022 at the museum to honor and celebrate Native veterans.

The memorial is “a major milestone in the recognition of the service that Native Americans have given to this country and continue to dedicate themselves to the community, and the contributions from their family members,” Lote said.

The memorial is also a way to publicly recognize a long-held belief by scholars that Native Americans have served at a higher rate in proportion to their population than any other racial or ethnic group, Lote said.

Although that statistic can’t be confirmed due to data-keeping and collecting issues, Native Americans (who have historically have been lumped into the “colored” group of those enlisted in the military) have a deeply-ingrained patriotic culture and generations of U.S. military service since the Revolutionary War.

“Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria are proud and happy to be able to donate $1.5 million to the National Native American Veterans Memorial,” Sarris said in a written statement. “This gift reinforces our strong commitment to honor the many American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian veterans who have served this country in the armed forces.”

Now that the museum has raised the money for construction, their next step is to begin raising money for its $5 million endowment, which will go towards memorial’s upkeep, programming, interpretation and events about Native veterans, Lote said.

You can reach Staff Writer Alana Minkler at 707-526-8511 or alana.minkler@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @alana_minkler.