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6. War, Masculinity, and Native Americans
- University of Illinois Press
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6 War, Masculinity, and native Americans KATHLEEN GLENISTER ROBERTS introduction In many Native American communities, especially in the Western United States, one particular answer to the question “What makes a man who he is in this culture?” often surprises non-Natives. War veterans have a particularly honored place in these communities, and for as long as they have been American citizens, participation in the U.S. armed forces has been a highly significant source of pride for Native American individuals. It is commonly estimated that of all the racial and ethnic demographic groups who comprise the American military, Native Americans have the highest percentage of honorable discharges (Shoyo, 2005). This chapter draws on several years of ethnographic research on Native American ceremonials to examine the metaphor of the “warrior” in some Native American communities. The term is used not stereotypically but emically. Non-Natives often assume that Native Americans would not want to participate in the institutions of a nation that has colonized, oppressed, marginalized, and even sought to eliminate their communities. But the cultural value of “defending one’s home” is invoked repeatedly by these veterans as the driving force behind their choice to enlist in the armed forces. This chapter discusses their views of “war,” which are expressed both in military service and in other contexts within their communities (during powwow dance competitions, for example). Their perspective on war is at times an ancient one, and has impacted American history more than most non-Natives understand. This misunderstanding throughout history often has led to continued disrespect on the part of non-Natives. It is hoped that this chapter’s method of ethnography will explain the warrior ideal in the voices of those who fight to defend their homes and their cultural communities. Their insights offer a glimpse into how masculinity is constructed in one particular way by some Native Americans. Putting this one perspective into context is important. The chapter will first review some of the challenges inherent in the argument. As a non-Native, I want to pay special attention to an alternative side of war and participation in the armed forces. These alternatives have obvious negative consequences for Native Americans and their communities, many of which have been well documented. I review those in the first section, along with some caveats and cautions about the potentially “loaded” terms “masculinity,” “war,” and “Native American Studies.” Following this section is an overview of the warrior ideal in a number of Native American communities, capped by an examination of several Native American voices on the topic of the warrior within multiple contexts: the literary, the civic, and the ceremonial. Masculinity, War, and native American studies The first caution commanding notice is that Native Americans cannot be generalized in any way, perhaps least of all in their constructions of masculinity . Hundreds of nations comprise the generic group “Native American,” all of them unique. Some do not even prefer the term “Native American,” although I use it for the purposes of academic discourse (the emic term for most Northern Plains groups, for example, is “Indian”). This is why I have stressed that this chapter will look at one particular construction of masculinity in some Native American communities. It is also important to emphasize that the warrior ideal I describe here does not necessarily apply only to “masculinity,” especially not in the twenty-first century. Native American women are strongly represented in the U.S. armed forces. In fact, the first woman to die in Iraq was Pfc. Lori Ann Piestewa (Indian name Qotsa-hon-mana, “White Bear Girl”), of the Hopi Indian Nation. Pfc. Piestewa was a member of the 507th Maintenance Company and was driving in a convoy near Nasiriyah on March 23,2003, when her company came under attack. She was severely wounded and taken as a prisoner of war, dying in captivity shortly afterward (National Native American Veterans Association , 2008). She was the first Native American woman in history to die in a U.S. military action. 142 . KATHLEEN GLENISTER ROBERTS [54.198.37.250] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 19:10 GMT) What is doubly tragic about Pfc. Piestewa’s death is that it is so relatively obscure . Her passenger in the vehicle was Pfc. Jessica Lynch, an Anglo American woman who became a household name when she was rescued from captivity and brought back to the United States. The Jessica Lynch Story was broadcast on national television and her narrative commanded the nation’s attention for...