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Honoring the Service of Native American Women at the National Museum of the American Indian

The special installation, “Making a Statement,” opens to the public May 15 to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary.

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May 14, 2026

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The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., will display two dresses, made 100 years apart, to honor active-duty and retired Native American service women, their Indigenous heritage and their role in the military. The special installation, “Making a Statement”, opens to the public May 15 as part of the museum’s events to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The women who made these dresses drew inspiration from their personal experiences and experimented by combining new and traditional designs. These dresses carry powerful stories by Native women about identity, cultural continuity, and the roles they serve within their communities.

The Lakota beaded dress is decorated with elaborate patriotic American imagery. During the late 1800s, Lakota women found new ways to express their cultural traditions as they adapted to reservation life. It was a time of intense creativity, and the American flag became a popular design. Dressmakers saw the banner flying above federal outposts, Fourth of July parades, and Wild West shows. They beaded the flag onto dresses and other objects to be given as gifts or worn for special occasions. This dress was likely made for a Fourth of July celebration.

Created a century later, the blue jingle dress shows Native women’s enduring practice of blending the old with the new. Native men’s actions in war are well documented on clothing, but the Native American Women Warriors (NAWW) color guard dress recognizes the military service of Native women.

In 2010, Army veteran Mitchelene BigMan (Apsáalooke [Crow]/Hidatsa) founded the nonprofit NAWW, the nation’s first all-women Native American color guard. To symbolize her status as a Native American woman and a 22-year Army veteran, BigMan designed the blue jingle dress, which she wore during the 2013 presidential inaugural parade. She and fellow service members Cindy Darrington (Diné [Navajo]) and Toni Eaglefeathers (Northern Cheyenne) combined the historical jingle dress with modern military symbolism.

Jingle dresses are known as healing or prayer dresses. Each metal cone represents a prayer. As the dancer moves, the melodic sound of the jingles carries the prayers skyward. The patch placed over the heart on the front of the dress honors Lori Ann Piestewa (Hopi, 1979–2003), the first Native American woman service member to die in combat in a U.S. war after her unit was ambushed in the Iraqi desert in March 2003.

Visit AmericanIndian.si.edu to learn about the museum’s events to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

In partnership with Native peoples and their allies, the National Museum of the American Indian fosters a richer shared human experience through a more informed understanding of Native peoples. For additional information, including hours and directions, visit AmericanIndian.si.edu. Follow the museum via social media @SmithsonianNMAI.

Originally published at Bethesdamagazine