NICE — A celebration honoring American Indian war veterans took place Tuesday evening at Robinson Rancheria, bringing together about 35 veterans and family members who have relatives currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan from all six different tribes in Lake County.
The event was the first of its kind in the county. While there are numerous other Memorial Day events honoring veterans, a special ceremony for Native Americans helps honor a heritage for those who served the country before the United States even recognized indigenous people as citizens.
Curtis Anderson, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam and is a member of the Robinson Rancheria of Pomo Indians, said he answers an often-posed question, “Why did you fight for the U.S.?”
“I tell them, I didn”t fight for the U.S. ? I fought for the land,” Anderson said as he addressed the crowd.
He and Master of Ceremonies Howard Chavez both iterated that tribal members often have a different perspective on serving in the U.S. military.
“This is the first celebration to honor Native Americans ? and they have been forgotten,” Chavez said.
“You”re fighting for a country that didn”t even claim you as a citizen ? Native Americans had been in the military long before 1924,” Chavez said, when the U.S. granted Native Americans the right to vote.
Nick Medina, a council member of the Robinson Rancheria Pomo Indians, who served as a Marine in the 1990s, said the veterans celebration will continue in years to come and will also serve the purpose of offering guidance to Native American veterans who are “not getting support from Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense.”
Cecilia Dawson, Director of the Robinson Rancheria Pomo Indians Wellness Department, got the idea for the ceremony after she saw a documentary on PBS about honoring Native American veterans. That led to a rushed four weeks of planning in order to put together Tuesday”s ceremony and dinner. The Native American Veterans of Lake County, the California Tribal TANF Partnership and the Robinson Rancheria of Pomo Indians sponsored the event.
Dawson said the ceremony is important to Native Americans who traditionally do not seek recognition for military service. She said she mentioned the idea to tribal members and veterans, all of whom gave enthusiastic response and many of whom volunteered to help out.
“They said when they came back from the war, they didn”t talk about it. Rather, they put it aside. They fought for our land and people ? they fought for our culture. The recognition that a lot of other soldiers would want ? they are more humble about it ? This is ceremony to help welcome warriors back from the war to the community,” Dawson said.
Contact Elizabeth Wilson at ewilson@record-bee.com
