Harvey Pratt, the son-in-law of Mr. and Mrs. George Christian of Kingfisher, has been named to design a national Native American Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The Cheyenne-Arapaho artist was selected from a national pool of artists to produce the memorial for his presentation, “Warriors Circle of Honor,” which Pratt said would be recognizable to all Native American people of the past, present and future, based on tradition, ceremony, spirituality and the elements.

Besides designing the memorial, Pratt and his wife, Gina, are involved in raising $17 million to build the memorial, principally from the nation’s 573 federally-recognized tribes.

Congress declined to appropriate funds for the project but tribes have stepped up to support the memorial which recognizes American Indians participation in every major confl ict in which the U.S. military has been engaged.

Pratt said corporations and individuals also have been coming on board to support the project.

A Vietnam veteran (U.S. Marine Corps) and retired Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation forensic artist, Pratt is married to the Christians’ daughter, Gina, a Kingfisher High School graduate, who is retired from the ABLE (Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement) Commission.

Pratt was one of three Native artists from Oklahoma whose design was in the running for the memorial. The others were the design team of Daniel SaSuWeh Jones (Ponca) and Enoch Kelly Haney (Seminole).

As part of the decision-making process, Pratt described his design in detail at a public forum at NMAI, explaining the symbolism of each part of the proposed memorial.

The memorial is scheduled for dedication on Veterans Day (Nov. 11) 2020. It will be located on the north side of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, “an arrow shot” from the U.S. capitol, Pratt notes.

Work has already begun on the pad on which the memorial will be placed.

The Pratts are spending about three days a month going to Washington or on fundraising expeditions as part of the process of developing the memorial.

An article in FirstAmerican Art explains Pratt’s concept for the memorial this way:

“Pratt says when he was little, his sisters used to ask why the elders treated the boys better than the girls.

“My Aunt Laura said, ‘Those boys are going to have to die for you some day. They’re going to be warriors,’” he related.

“Seeing the way veterans were honored in his community was part of the reason he joined the Marine Corps, with whom he served in the Vietnam War.

“One of the reasons I became interested in making this design for the Native American veterans was because I wanted to represent Native American people and the warrior’s sacred circle,” he says. “When you meet there inside, you can pray and make offerings and burn some sweet-grass or cedar or your medicine, and you make a pledge to your friends … and honor one another and remember, this place becomes a place of healing and comfort … and when you get in there, you’re going to feel all those prayers and sacrifi ces that people are going to make. … It’s going to build energy and power, and when you go there, you’re going to feel it. …

“There’s always a sacred place somewhere where someone did something, and when you’re walking through the woods and you find that spot, you feel it. You feel that sacred spot. That is what I want this to be.

“Those veterans can come in there and be healed, I hope.”

Pratt, who retired as a leading forensic OSBI artist, created the seven-foot relief of the OSBI shield and the ongoing OSBI history mural, both located at the OSBI Headquarters.

Pratt enlisted a team of Oklahomans to help complete the memorial, including the architectural firm, Hans and Torrey, which has designed the Murrah Building Bombing Memorial, the recently-dedicated Scissortail Park and lighted Scissortail bird depiction over I-40 in Oklahoma City, University of Oklahoma architectural dean Hans Butzer, and Nathan Pratt of Oklahoma City, Harvey’s son and also a professional artist, to help them negotiate the pitfalls that go with constructing anything in Washington, D.C.

The Smithsonian approved allowing Pratt to keep his design team rather than one selected by the Institution.

Although they have been extremely busy since being notified of the project in November 2017, both Harvey and Gina say it has been enjoyable as well as educational.

Pratt was selected from among 413 artists who submitted designs for the memorial from across America and fi ve foreign countries.

The first cut was to 120 designs and the second to fi ve, with Pratt’s submission still in the running.

Harvey was announced as the winner on June 27, 2018, and has been engaged in the process since that time.

Gina said it was fortuitous they had both recently retired because of the time constraints necessary to complete the project by the Veterans Day deadline.

Some 30,000 visitors are expected for the dedication.

She said anyone planning to attend probably should make hotel reservations now.

A downtown parade and concert are both scheduled in conjunction with the dedication.