World War II and the onset of the atomic age transformed the lives of Native American men and women. Their experiences paralleled those of many other Americans and yet remained distinct from them. Let’s take a look on the home front and consider how Word War II brought both opportunities and challenges to Indian individuals and tribal communities.
Native Americans Present a United Front
By the late 1930s, overseas aggression had increased. And, as early as 1939, some Natives Americans took symbolic action to help the nation present a united front abroad despite cultural differences at home.
For instance, once the swastika—an ancient symbol of friendship, peace, and good luck— gained its association with anti-Semitism during the 1930s, many American Indians abandoned it. This included the 45th Infantry Division, which consisted of a large number of Native people from Oklahoma, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. In 1939, the 45th replaced a shoulder patch featuring a yellow swastika set against a red background and went to war under another Native American sign, the Thunderbird.
The following year, Navajo, Tohono O’odham, Apache, and Hopi people adopted a resolution in which they renounced the use of the swastika on their blankets, baskets, art objects, sand paintings, and clothing because it had been—in their words—desecrated by another nation of people.
This is a transcript from the video series Native Peoples of North America. Watch it now, on Wondrium.
Pearl Harbor...
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