Abstract: Around the world, the centenary of the First World War has accelerated what Jay Winter refers to as the memory boom of the twentieth century.1 Nations such as Australia, Canada, and New Zealand have invested significant taxpayer dollars into commemorations of the war, continuing processes of (falsely) positioning wartime service as central to each nation’s identity and development.2 In other nations, such as the United States, it is the Second World War that has led to similar mythologies about the goodness of the nation’s character and citizenry through ideas of “the Good War” and “the Greatest Generation.”3 Notwithstanding the criticisms of historians, war and conflict continue to form a central place ... Read More Keywords: Indian soldiers; Arikara Indians; Indian scouts; Indians of North America; United States.; South Africa.; South Africa; World War, 1914-1918; Veterans; World War, 1939-1945; Australia; War memorials; Private military companies; Mercenary troops; Maor PubDate: 2017-10-30T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: In the mid-1860s the Arikaras, or Sahnish, struggled against Sioux (Dakota and Lakota) incursions into their territory. After first forming an alliance with the Mandans and Hidatsas to resist Sioux expansion, Sahnish leaders White Shield and Son of Star also attempted to create a military alliance with the United States. By allowing Sahnish men to scout for the U.S. Army, White Shield and Son of Star pursued a strategy that would take the war into enemy territory and place the Sioux on the defensive. Although racist attitudes were widespread in the U.S. Army, the Sahnish scouts gradually earned respect and appreciation for their service from regular officers and enlisted men. Among these was Lt. ... Read More Keywords: Indian soldiers; Arikara Indians; Indian scouts; Indians of North America; United States.; South Africa.; South Africa; World War, 1914-1918; Veterans; World War, 1939-1945; Australia; War memorials; Private military companies; Mercenary troops; Maor PubDate: 2017-10-30T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: News of the outbreak of war in Europe prompted a surge of proempire sentiments and effusive declarations of loyalty to Britain among many colored (mixed-race) people in the Union of South Africa.1 Orchestrating and encouraging these avowals was the African Political Organisation (APO) of Dr. Abdullah Abdurahman. The APO was the main political vehicle for colored people, and its newspaper, also by the same name, played an influential role in disseminating political ideas. The First World War initially dominated the entire content of the newspaper.2 Mass meetings were further occasions to provide voluble support. One such meeting in the landmark Cape Town City Hall was described as “of an ... Read More Keywords: Indian soldiers; Arikara Indians; Indian scouts; Indians of North America; United States.; South Africa.; South Africa; World War, 1914-1918; Veterans; World War, 1939-1945; Australia; War memorials; Private military companies; Mercenary troops; Maor PubDate: 2017-10-30T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: In the wake of the First World War, Indigenous peoples in the United States and Australia joined a global push by those on the margins for self-determination, justice, and equality. This article focuses on and discusses two organizations that formed during this turbulent global time period: the Australian Aboriginal Progressive Association (AAPA) in Australia and the Mission Indian Federation (MIF) in the United States. A comparison of the two organizations reveals the strategies they employed in their fight for land, for citizenship, for the protection of their children, and for the mobilization of non-Indigenous support. Both organizations faced powerful government opposition in both countries. ... Read More Keywords: Indian soldiers; Arikara Indians; Indian scouts; Indians of North America; United States.; South Africa.; South Africa; World War, 1914-1918; Veterans; World War, 1939-1945; Australia; War memorials; Private military companies; Mercenary troops; Maor PubDate: 2017-10-30T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: “One day a notice came out of the first sergeant’s office with my name on it. It was my pass to go back to the states! After thirty-four months, five campaigns, and many battles, I was going home! I had made it, but my brother had not.”1 With these words, Hollis D. Stabler began his journey home and his transition from an Omaha soldier into a Native American veteran. It is difficult to imagine the immensity or complexity of the feelings that Second World War Indigenous service personnel experienced, after months or even years away in military services, in anticipating and living through their homecoming, “most filled with jubilant anticipation, some plagued by weariness, and a few haunted by the dark ... Read More Keywords: Indian soldiers; Arikara Indians; Indian scouts; Indians of North America; United States.; South Africa.; South Africa; World War, 1914-1918; Veterans; World War, 1939-1945; Australia; War memorials; Private military companies; Mercenary troops; Maor PubDate: 2017-10-30T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: In 1995 Australia’s Department of Veterans’ Affairs sponsored a series of commemorations dubbed Australia Remembers 1945–1995. A review indicated that over 70 percent of Australians and 90 percent of ex-service organizations and communities participated in associated events.1 Yet state reports suggested that one segment of the population did not significantly participate: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. These are Australia’s two Indigenous peoples: Aboriginal people’s traditional lands are on mainland Australia and Tasmania; while Torres Strait Islanders’ traditional lands are the islands of the Torres Strait, separating Australia from Papua New Guinea. Historian Liz Reed argues that the ... Read More Keywords: Indian soldiers; Arikara Indians; Indian scouts; Indians of North America; United States.; South Africa.; South Africa; World War, 1914-1918; Veterans; World War, 1939-1945; Australia; War memorials; Private military companies; Mercenary troops; Maor PubDate: 2017-10-30T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: The private military industry has expanded rapidly since the 1980s and traverses many countries, governments, and peoples. Unlike other peoples described as “warrior peoples” or “martial races,” Māori are not predominantly seen and do not predominantly speak about themselves as “warriors” in the private military industry, which has expanded since the 1990s. Is this a result of the image of Māori as warriors being historically qualified by the accompanying image of Māori as “noble savages” who were allegedly capable of being civilized and assimilated' We suggest that Māori do not describe themselves as a warrior or martial race in the industry because there are other peoples in the industry who are labeled ... Read More Keywords: Indian soldiers; Arikara Indians; Indian scouts; Indians of North America; United States.; South Africa.; South Africa; World War, 1914-1918; Veterans; World War, 1939-1945; Australia; War memorials; Private military companies; Mercenary troops; Maor PubDate: 2017-10-30T00:00:00-05:00
Abstract: In early 1981 my longtime friend Harold “Hodge” Barse, a Sioux/Wichita/Kiowa who was at the time a readjustment counselor with the Oklahoma City Veterans Administration Outreach program, called to ask me if I knew of any studies of Native American Vietnam veterans. I had to say that I did not know of any. With that telephone call we began an unfunded inquiry into the lives of American Indian Vietnam veterans. It was, in keeping with the foundations of American Indian studies, an activist, academic approach to what we perceived was a largely overlooked and misunderstood group of Indian people who not only deserved recognition for their military service but also merited attention to their specific needs in ... Read More Keywords: Indian soldiers; Arikara Indians; Indian scouts; Indians of North America; United States.; South Africa.; South Africa; World War, 1914-1918; Veterans; World War, 1939-1945; Australia; War memorials; Private military companies; Mercenary troops; Maor PubDate: 2017-10-30T00:00:00-05:00