Native American Women's Exhibit Opens at Women's Memorial

Tuesday, May 27, 2003
By Rudi Williams
American Forces Press Service

Hopi tribe chairman Wayne Taylor Jr said, after Lori Piestewa was killed in action, the most frequently asked question on the Hopi reservation was: "Why did Lori join the Army?"

"Many have speculated and derived their own answers. Perhaps it was because she followed in the legacy of those before her -- her father, a Vietnam veteran, and her grandfather, a World War II veteran. Maybe it was because of early ROTC involvement. Only Lori could give us the answer. Whatever the reason, the question should not be why did she, but rather, why is it strange for her not to?"

Wayne Taylor Jr., chairman of the Hopi Indian Tribe, said those who serve in America's armed forces should be remembered everyday, not just on Memorial Day. The chairman was one of the main speakers during the unveiling ceremony for an exhibit called "Voices" that highlights contributions of Native American women to the defense of the nation.
Image Credit: Rudi Williams -- AFIS

ARLINGTON, Va -- AFIS
Army Spc. Lori Piestewa didn't move a mountain, but her death on the battlefield in Iraq touched a nation and changed a mountain's name.

"Squaw Peak," the Phoenix summit with a name that's offensive and controversial to some, is now "Piestewa Peak" – a hero's name.

Among other tributes to the fallen warrior, Piestewa and five others are featured in "Voices," a new exhibit that opened at the Women's Memorial on May 26 to honor and highlight the contributions of Native American women who serve in the armed forces.

A Hopi Indian, Piestewa was given special honors by tribal representatives from across the country because she was the first service woman killed in action in Operation Iraqi Freedom and the first known Native American service woman known to have been killed in combat.

The 23-year-old soldier from Tuba City, Ariz., died from injuries when her unit, the 507th Maintenance Company, was ambushed on March 23 near Nasiriyah, Iraq, by enemy forces in Iraq. She was promoted posthumously.

Her family and representatives from several nations and tribes – among them Hopi, Navajo, Oneida, Odawa, Chukchansi-Mono, Kumeyaay, and Lakota/Dakota -- were here for the exhibit's unveiling ceremony.

In keeping with Native American heritage and culture, the tribes showered the Piestewas with gifts – blankets, shadow boxes, paintings and eagle feathers.

For example, Vice Chairman Aaron Jones and council members Rob Castro and Craig Martinez from the Table Mountain Rancheria Chukchansi-Mono tribe, presented the Piestewa family four blankets representing life, love, strength and knowledge and reason.
(More: DefenseLINK.mil)
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/May2003/n05272003_200305273.html
2003 © U.S. Department of Defense.

Dan