The exhibit is hosted by the OOHRP because it is directly related to research the Program is currently working on in conjunction with the Chilocco National Alumni Association. Not only does the exhibit highlight the history of Native American military service in the U.S., but an entire panel from the 19 panel exhibit features the military contribution from alumni of the Chiloco Indian Agriculture School.
According to the book, They Called It Prairie Light, by K. Tsianina Lomawaima, "Established in 1884 and operative for nearly a century, the Chilocco Indian Agriculture School was one of a series of off-reservation boarding schools intended to assimilate American Indian children into mainstream American life." The school originally enforced Christianity and attempted to erase student's tribal identity and language. However, their assimilation attempts failed. Many of the students banned together to form a Pan-Indian identity.
The school was originally organized based using a military arrangement. The National Park Service mentions that a large number of men from the school fought in World War II, but throughout the school's history, there was always a significant representation from Chiloccoans in military service, including three Medal of Honor recipients, making Chilocco one of the smallest schools in the U.S. to have graduated so many Medal of Honor recipients. The Chilocco National Alumni Association further emphasizes the military role of the school by acknowledging that it was "the only boarding school with its own state provided National Guard unit and armory."
According to the National Park Service, Indian boarding schools began to decline in the 1960's due to cultural changes. The school was eventually closed in 1980, although its philosophy and relationship to students had greatly shifted since from the opening years of the school. The Chilocco National Alumni Association states that after the closing, 5,000 acres of the school's property were divided and transferred equally among five North Central Oklahoma tribes, while the 165 acres of the main campus and all the buildings are jointly managed by these five tribes. The campus itself is still there, however, it is not open to the public.
National Native American Veterans Memorial
The memorial will be located at the National Mall, the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C. The memorial is dedicated to honor Native American's sacrifice and military contributions. The official website provides the designs of the five finalists for the memorial, of which three artists are from Oklahoma. On July 4, 2018, the winner of the design competition will be announced. In addition, the website provides a history of Native American war veterans, the tribes that support the memorial, donors, and a way to donate to the cause. The memorial plans to open on November 11, 2020.
See also the following books in Government Documents:
Indians in the War: EIN169 I435
The book contains a collection of stories and photographs from Indian war veterans.
"The casualty lists and the lists of awards and decorations continue those begun in Indians at Work for May-June 19943 and carried on in the November-December 1943, May-June 1944, and September-October 1944 issues."
The American Indian in the World War: EIN169 B936 1927 no.15
Lists the brave accounts of those whom fought in various U.S. wars.
Navajo Code Talkers: D 201.39: N22/2
The U.S. Marines used Navajo Code Talkers during WWII because "Navajo is an unwritten language of extreme complexity." The Japanese were never able to decode the messages, contributing to the success of the U.S. Marines.
Native American Photography at the Smithsonian: FS247 N278 AM55
"This book of hauntingly beautiful Native American portraits reflects the tragic history of the Cheyenne, Sioux, Pawnee, Cherokee, and other groups whose leaders traveled to Washington in the mid-nineteenth-century to negotiate treaties with the US government. The images form the core of the Smithsonian's extensive collection of Native American photographs and of important collections in many other major museums around the world."
For More Information:
K. Tsianina Lomawaima
Author of the book, They Called it Prairie Light: The Story of Chilocco Indian School, Dr.Lomawaima is a well-known Native American scholar; will be speaking at the Edmond Low Library on February 23rd.
Veteran History Workshops
The Library of Congress will hold a workshop at the Edmond Low Library on March 16 to train individuals oral history methods to interview war veterans. This workshop, lead by members if the OOHRP faculty in conjunction with the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, will increase Native American first-person perspectives contributed to the VHP archive at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
Library of Congress
Provides stories from the Veterans History Project.
Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian
Find out more about the NMAI collections, exhibits, and stories.
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