Even despite the horrible treatment they received throughout history by the American government, Native Americans participated in the army for World War 2. They understood what it meant to fight for their land, and thus strove to help the US, their home too. Many tribes sent a decent percent of their population or even all of their able-bodied males to enlist to fight in the war.
The Germans feared the Native Americans because their language was so unknown to the Nazis. During the 1930s, agents posing as anthropologists tried to infiltrate Native American tribes and learn some of their language for further advantages. But coming up to World War 2, Germany did not expect them to join the army, as Propaganda Minister Josef Goebbels believed the Swastika was similar to a sacred symbol. Quite the opposite happened because the Native Americans believed that they would be enslaved by the Nazis and lose even more liberty.
In addition to the 80,000 natives that went to fight in the war, about 40,000 who stayed at home found jobs helping the war efforts. Because the Native Americans had only really stayed on their reservations before, this movement to the general workforce represented a unification of ideas behind a common goal, winning the war. In addition, many tribes purchased Treasury Stamps and Bonds and donated to the Red Cross in hopes of further helping the US and its organizations fund the war effort.
World War 2 also increased women’s roles within the reservations. Because so many men were off fighting, women generally got to work in roles generally suited for men and gained vital skills for advancing their social roles.
In addition to the Germans not being able to understand the language of the natives, neither could the Japanese. The navy recruited Navajo Native Americans to relay messages, and “The Navajo Code Talkers” were a highly recognized radio unit that specialized in transmitting some of the most important messages. After their first use in 1942 on Guadalcanal, over 400 Navajo became code talkers crucial to the Pacific ocean and the war against Japan.
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| Navajo Code Talkers |
Representing one of the first ways for Native Americans to make a decent living, the war increased the quality of life across the board for natives living on reservations. By 1944, the average annual income was $2,400 higher than it was in 1940 before the war started. Native Americans were fully recognized for one of the first times, and this greatly aided them in their fight for equal rights in American to come.
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Fascinating post! I had heard about "The Navajo Code Talkers" before and it was really cool to learn more about them. I still find it really interesting that with the relations the US government and people (settlers in particular) have had with the native american nations in the past that they would support the US war effort so strongly. Makes me wonder why today more people (and the government) don't support issues concerning land rights and use with the recent issue of the Dakota pipeline.
ReplyDeleteGreat job illustrating Native American roles during World War 2. Although the Navajo code talkers get the most publicity, I think it is interesting that the Cherokee were actually the first code talkers and that these people started the encryption technique as early as World War 1.
ReplyDeleteSource for more information on Cherokee Code Talkers:
http://www.cherokee.org/News/Stories/32170.aspx