nies, says Lowry. “I think there was a gradual acceptance among our ceremonial leaders that our culture had changed and the law had to change because we’ve had so many generations of combat veterans,” he says. Oklahoman John Emhoolah (Kiowa/


Arapaho) was attending the Riverside Indian School in Anadarko, Oklahoma, when he signed up for the National Guard in 1950 as a way to earn a few extra dollars. Shortly thereafter, the Korean War began and his unit was activated as the 45th Infantry Di- vision. A substantial number of the soldiers in the famed “Thunderbird Division” were fellow American Indians. Emhoolah became a forward observer doing reconnaissance in the 158th Field Artillery and spent five cold months on a mountainside in Korea, where he and his crew directed fire from half a dozen 105 mm howitzers. “I did my job,” he says, as did his five brothers, who also served in Korea or Vietnam. Emhoolah’s return home was eased by a


Native American Church ceremony held with Kiowa elders. The Native American Church uses sacred medicine,


fasting rituals and


prayer intended to heal the disrepair of the world, including the stresses of war. “It was like the old days,” he said. “We sang the old songs. Because of that, I’m still here.” Since then, year after year, Emhoolah has


attended ceremonies of the Ton-Kon-Gah, or Kiowa Black Leggings Warrior Society, which was established more than 200 years ago to honor combat veterans like him. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has put such com- munity gatherings for healing on hold, says Emhoolah. “Everything is cancelled for this year until this bad medicine goes away.” Among the next generation, George Ben-


In the graphic novel “Soldiers Unknown,” Chag Lowry (Maidu/Yurok/Achumawi) and illustrator Rahsan Ekedal depict the story of Yuroks Charley Pecwan, his cousin and another tribe member who were drafted into service to fight in World War I. On this page, his great-great grandson is learning about how once Pecwan returned, he was forbidden to participate in ceremonies as he had killed others during battle. Yet he remained connected to his people because he could still pray and create regalia such as this headdress that his descendants will now wear in ceremony.


26 AMERICAN INDIAN FALL 2020


illustrator Rahsan Ekedal depict in their graphic novel, “Soldiers Unknown,” a fictional recreation of the experiences of real Yurok and Maidu soldiers from rural California to the trenches of France. They were drafted to fight in the First World War, even before all American Indians were declared to be U.S. citizens in 1924. Because Charley, the lead protagonist, has killed an enemy in battle, he is forbidden to participate as a singer or dancer in Yurok ceremonies after his return. Nevertheless, he remains connected to his people because he can still pray and craft the regalia used by others in their ceremonies. Yurok and Maidu veterans are now able to participate in some of their tribal ceremo-


nett Sr. (Tlingit) grew up in Hoonah, Alaska, during the 1950s and 1960s on a rugged island 30 miles west and a world away from the state capital in Juneau. Rain, cold and snow were ordinary facts of life. Bennett’s tribe lived off the land and sea but in har- mony with nature. “We had so little knowledge of the world


outside Hoonah,” he recalled, but he did learn from his elders’ respect for the forest and the ocean. “We took only what we needed. When we went berry picking, my mother would talk to the bears who might be out in the forest, asking their forgiveness for intruding on their homelands.” That life was interrupted when Bennett got


his draft notice in 1966 and was sent to Viet- nam. “I was excited about doing my share,” he


IMAGE COURTESY OF CHAG LOWRY


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