Calling all Native American Veterans to share their stories of service.

Please send your military stories to NAWVresearch@yahoo.com

An Example of a Warrior Woman

Sacagawea was the first American Indian woman to be recruited by the United States Army. She was the first female soldier to serve on the front line and she was the first female scout for an expedition in to the Western Plains territory. She was also a Shoshone Indian. Not until the twenty first century has the American public recognized her heroic deeds or her contribution to the United States succession.

UPDATE: NOVEMBER 2004

The thesis topic that I would have liked to concentrate on for my Masters degree involved the study and research of all Native American women veterans and their involvement with the United States military. Due to the lack of time, information, interviews and outreach I had to narrow my thesis based on my data.  I plan on keeping this website up and adding biographies as time goes on.  The indigenous cultures of the North American continent have helped shape the United States. The women of these tribes have participated in the protection and succession of the American people. My paper will prove that Native American women have served and enhanced the armed services of the United States.

 If you know of any women veterans who have Native American affiliations please contact my website with their stories at NAWVresearch@yahoo.com.

Research Issues of Native American Women Veterans.

Women in traditional American history have never fully been recognized for their contribution to society. Some of the problems facing researching American Indian women in the military is classification of these women, especially in the twentieth century, was done incorrectly. Retired Lt. Colonel Brenda Finnicum in an article stated; "When you are talking about women who served during World War I and II, the classification system of race was limited to three choices: black, white, and other. Native American women and men were not counted as individuals; they were passed on as white. So many Indians were not even correctly classified."

Prior to the Vietnam Conflict, American Indians were categorized as “other” during admissions to the military.  Along with Asians and Non-Western female recruits, these people were grouped together. Especially with the “other” female recruits, their differentiation was based on the color shade of their skin.  Females were segregated in the other section by shades of color rather than ethnicity.  If you were a Northeastern tribal recruit you may pass for white and be put into the white section.  If you were a dark Seminole you might be placed in the black section.  The only way to research the women, who may have served in the military prior to the 1948 Executive Order 9928, was to know native family surnames or to research Native Papers. 

The process for research has led me to ask for help from the First Nations and of the Women’s War Memorial.  Unfortunately at this phase of my paper I have encountered little help from the departments of the military and lack of travel has kept me from interviewing women from the tribes. 

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