Way of the Warrior DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Historian Tom Holm talks about the “Indian Scout Syndrome,” a pattern of imposed stereotypes that have had an impact on where Native soldiers typically serve in the U.S. military.  How did these stereotypes originate?  What effect did they have on Native warriors?

In WWI, many Native men were recruited out of Indian boarding schools.  Why do you think these schools were such fertile grounds for military recruitment?

Given that Indian people were not U.S. citizens, what do you think motivated Native men to volunteer for WWI?

Indian boarding schools were notorious for insisting that Native Americans speak English. In fact, Indian children who spoke their Native languages were sometimes beaten for doing so. Discuss the irony of the Choctaw Codetalkers, who, during World War I, used their Choctaw language to send coded messages the Germans could not decipher.

Although many Native men and women volunteered for service during World War II, some Indian nations filed suit to prevent their citizens from being drafted.  Why do you think several members of the Six Nations Confederacy fought so vehemently against conscription, even as they declared war independently against the Axis Powers?

Why do you think the U.S. military created segregated units for African Americans, yet integrated Native Americans into regular units?

Following WWII, many mixed-blood Native Americans began denying their Indian ancestry and “passing” as southern Europeans.  Why do you think they did that?

Consider the stories of tribal kinsmen Mitchell Red Cloud and John Rice, both decorated WWII soldiers who lost their lives heroically in the Korean War. One received the Congressional Medal. The other was denied burial in an all-white cemetery. Why were two soldiers whose military experiences were so similar treated so differently in death?

During the 1950s, “Cowboys and Indians” movies were extremely popular Saturday matinee attractions. Given the disproportionate numbers of Native American soldiers in both WWII and Korea, why do you think Indians were vilified during this Cold War era?

During the Vietnam War, a growing number of Native soldiers seemed to identify culturally with the inhabitants of the developing nations they visited. Holm believes that this contributed to the growing politicization of Indian communities. Can you think of any political events or social movements that give weight to Holm’s assertions?

Most Indian communities have protocols for preparing their warriors for combat and reintegrating them when they return.  Sweat Lodge ceremonies, purification rituals, the telling of one’s war stories—are just a few of the ways Native communities help their warriors transition from war to peace.  How important are these reintegration rituals? What can mainstream America learn from this?