05/22/2026
๐ชถ Memorial Day means something deeply complex in Indigenous communities.
Long before the United States existed, our people had warrior societies rooted in protecting the people, the land, the culture, and future generations. Many Native people later joined the U.S. military, even while our communities were enduring colonization, boarding schools, broken treaties, and cultural erasure.
For many of our families, serving was never about blindly supporting a government system that harmed our people. It was about carrying the responsibility of the warrior. Protecting community. Creating opportunities for future generations. Ensuring our lineage continued on. Survival.
This post is meant to offer education, perspective, and understanding on why Memorial Day can hold both pride and pain for Indigenous peoples at the same time.
To our non-Native relatives and allies: We ask for sensitivity, openness, and a willingness to listen and learn. Indigenous perspectives deserve space, thought, respect, and understanding too.
Today and always, we honor Native veterans, fallen warriors, Gold Star families, and the ancestors who protected our people long before America was founded.
We are still here. Still protecting. Still serving. Still carrying the spirit of the warrior. โ๐ฝ๐ชถ
