In 2012, the museum created on its grounds the first American Indian Veterans National Memorial. Located outside the Collector’s Room of the Heard Museum Shop, the memorial consists of several sizable sculptures by acclaimed Chiricahua Apache sculptor Allan Houser (1914-1994) and Santa Clara Pueblo sculptor Michael Naranjo. The 10-foot Unconquered II was Allan Houser’s final sculpture. Naranjo is a Vietnam War veteran who suffered an injury that rendered him blind.
Several bronze-colored panels detail the story of American Indians who have fought in conflicts from the 17th to the 21st centuries and pay tribute to American Indians who received the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military decoration. The panels’ descriptions begin with these words:
“The story of American Indian Warriors begins before there was a United States of America, and the Warrior Tradition continues rich and strong today. Honoring Warrior leaders is also a tradition that is an integral part of the story. In this spirit, the Heard Museum joins with those who keep the honoring tradition and tell the stories of bravery and sacrifice.”
One panel contains a poem, “Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep,” written by Mary Elizabeth Frye in 1932, which has endured for 90 years. The poem has been translated into many languages and set to music by many composers. It has comforted people around the world, and it did so at a memorial service for U.S. Army Spc. Lori Piestewa (Hopi), who was killed in 2003 in the Iraq War. Her family offers it to the American Indian Veterans National Memorial.
Another panel contains a drawing and an accompanying poem, “The Fear of Bo-talee,” by author N. Scott Momaday (Kiowa) from his 1992 book In the Presence of the Sun: Stories and Poems, 1961-1991.
“The story of American Indian Warriors begins before there was a United States of America, and the Warrior Tradition continues rich and strong today. Honoring Warrior leaders is also a tradition that is an integral part of the story. In this spirit, the Heard Museum joins with those who keep the honoring tradition and tell the stories of bravery and sacrifice.”
