Tribute to our Warriors
The 2014 Spirit of Nations Powwow honors the
Warrior Tradition
That “excellent use” has continued ever since. In the War of 1812, Andrew Jackson and a force of frontier whites and Cherokee warriors won a decisive battle at Horseshoe Bend in Alabama. Junaluska is credited with saving Jackson’s life in the battle, something he later regretted. And of course, others once again allied with the British in an effort to stem further white encroachment onto Indian lands.
In the Civil War, Indians enlisted on both sides. Ely
Parker, a Seneca, was an officer in the Union army. He was present when
Union General Ulysses Grant accepted the surrender of General Robert E. Lee,
commander of the Army of Northern Virginia. Confederate General Stand
Watie, a Cherokee, led two companies of mounted riflemen and participated in
more battles than any other unit in the western theater of the war. The only
Indian to achieve the rank of general in the Civil War, Watie surrendered
on June 23, 1865, the last Confederate general to lay down his arms.
Here in the east, the Thomas Legion was a Confederate unit made up
primarily of Cherokee soldiers. When they marched through Knoxville, the
townspeople came out to catch a glimpse. Part of the Legion’s time was
spent guarding the railroad bridge at Strawberry Plains. When there was
no threat of battle, they sometimes entertained themselves with stickball games.
They later took part in the bloody Battle of Stones River in
Murfreesboro.
Teddy Roosevelt recruited American Indians from Indian Territory
to join his “Rough Riders.” They saw action in Cuba during the
Spanish-American War in 1898.
In World War I, more than 12,000 American Indians served in the
United States military, even after hundreds had crossed the border to join the
Canadian army before the United States formally entered the war.
On the home front about 10,000 Indians joined the Red Cross and
sewed more than 100,000 clothing items. With many living in poverty, they
still collected $25 million dollars for war bonds. The Iroquois
Confederacy even declared war against Germany. It may come as a surprise,
but Code Talkers first confounded the enemy during World War I.
At the outbreak of World War II the total Native population was
approximately 350,000. In 1942 7,500 Natives enlisted for military
service. By 1945 that number had risen to 22,000. By the end of the
war, over 44,000 Native men and women had gained distinction in the European
and Pacific theaters.
The most famous Native service in WW II came from the Navaho
(Dine’) Code Talkers. From D-Day at Normandy Beach to the liberation of
Paris, lines of communication were kept open, just as they had been during
World War I by other American Indians. For years, the story of the Code
Talkers was classified information. That changed in 2002 when Congress
passed the Code Talkers Recognition Act.
Many of the more than 40,000 Natives, including women, who
remained home during World War II, worked in ordnance depots, factories, and
other wartime industries. The Navy Department Library reports, “More than
500 Eskimo and Indian women and girls worked day and night manufacturing skin clothing,
mittens, mukluks, moccasins, snowshoes, and other articles of wearing apparel
for our forces serving in cold weather or at high altitudes. An Alaskan
woman also ran a trap line to make money for war bonds.
Cherokee girls wove and sold baskets, buying war stamps with the
money…the war plants had many Indian women on their rolls, working as riveters,
inspectors, sheet metal workers, and machinists. Those left behind also
invested more than $50 million dollars in war bonds.
This distinctive level of service can be seen in Native
involvement in the Korean War and again in Vietnam, where more than 42,000
Native soldiers fought, with 90% of them being volunteers. American
Indian contributions have continued in Grenada, Panama, Somalia, Kuwait, Afghanistan,
and Iraq. On March 23, 2003, Specialist Lori Ann Piestewa, a member of
the Hopi tribe, became the first female casualty of the invasion of Iraq and
the first American Indian woman to die in combat while serving in the United
States military
Today there are approximately 200,000 American Indian military
veterans. American Indians have the highest per capita record of service
of any ethnic group. According to the BIA, one out of every four Indian
males is a military veteran and almost half of all tribal leaders today are
military veterans.
The military involvement of Native men and women is no modern day
invention. It is rooted in a deep appreciation of the warrior tradition.
The qualities of a warrior – strength, honor, pride, devotion, courage, and
wisdom – are a perfect fit for those who desire military service.
Historically a warrior had to have physical, mental, emotional,
and spiritual strength. He had to be willing and able to face death.
Chief Aupumut of the Mohican said, "When it comes time to die, be not like
those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so when their time comes
they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a
different way. Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home."
Warriors, both past and present, are honored among Native peoples.
Today’s powwows typically include an honor guard bringing in the flag of
the United States, leading all the dancers into the arena. The drum
performs a flag song and a veterans’ song as well. At this time all
veterans – Native and non-Native alike, are invited into the dance circle to be
honored by all those in attendance.
These modern day warriors are willing to sacrifice their lives to
preserve their families, their tribe, and their country. As Chief
Plenty Coups of the Crow said, "The ground on which we stand is sacred
ground. It is the blood of our ancestors." Warriors – then and now –
stand ready to defend that land.