This was the main factor into Native involvement in the war, and contributed to the strong drive these soldiers had to fight on the side of the Americans. While some of these Natives provided aid in battle, others helped through methods such as code talking, this secret communication saved thousands of lives, and potentially protected the confidential secrets of the war. (paragraph 3-4, page 1) This shows us the importance of their support in the war, and the values they had for the countries land. For the Natives, this was not a fight against the Axis, it was a fight to have a place in their country.

Hope for a change in the native perspective

We can see that despite the past trauma they had faced, they still valued life on American land. Their efforts to gain citizenship shows us the importance of equality due to their participation in the war, and their willingness to gain back their rights. This is visible in The Library Of Congresses article titled Native Americans In The First World War And The Fight For Citizenship, when author Danna Bill states that, “Forty percent of Native Americans were not citizens until 1924, though more than 12,000 served in the U.S. Army during World War I. As part of their service, many Native Americans of the 142nd Infantry, 36th Division became the nation’s first “Code Talkers.” Code Talkers sent messages encrypted in their native languages over radio, telephone, and telegraph lines which were never broken by Germany. On June 2, 1924, almost six years after the end of the war, Congress passed the Indian Citizenship Act granting citizenship to all Native Americans born in the United States." ( page 1, paragraph 4 )

Impact of the war

   The wounded knee massacre was only 30 years before the US joined in the first world war. This is a major shift in the tension between the Natives and the Americans, and became a new light of hope for the change of Indigenous oppression. Around 6 years after the war, congress finally passed the Indian citizenship act, granting citizenship to those born within the country, making their efforts a final success. This relates to the Iroquois constitutions wishes to "Bury the weapons underneath cavity left behind the uprooted pine tree to be washed by water within earth to then be replanted solidify the function of the Tree of Great Peace" (Dekanawidah, Iroquois constitution), in other words they are sealing the past of their actions and bringing everyone together under one Nation. 

During the first World War, the United States had a great need for quick, secretive, and reliable communication. Though the US had employed various communication strategies, ranging from European based code languages, message runners, delivery owls, etc, none had proved reliable or able to withstand the brute force of the axis powers. However, amidst the war, a US army official overheard two Native Choctaw Indians speaking in their native language. Taking advantage of this unknown language, the US employed a code language based around the Choctaw dialect. 

Although relatively basic in vocabulary, the Choctaw language proved so effective because it was obsolete to any culture outside of the Choctaw tribe within America. The dialect was unheard of to the axis powers, and proved impossible to decipher. The ancient language of the Choctaw tribe, in many cases had no vocabulary words to use for modern day English. To make this work, the Code talkers would employ a word unrelated to the English  equivalent. Due to this, the basic Choctaw dialect proved difficult for even the tribe members back home to decipher, let alone the enemy force (17). 

From a Native point of view, this was rather ironic, because they were punished for using their dialect back in the United States by the same government that was using their language for the war effort (14). Among this, the Native American code talkers remained unofficially recognized by the US government until the early 21st century (19). 

In Iroquois culture, the Iroquois Constitution states “We place at the top of the Tree of the Long Leaves an Eagle who is able to see afar. If he sees in the distance any evil approaching or any danger threatening he will at once warn the people of the Confederacy” (22). This relates to the idea behind Choctaw participation in World War I. Their job was to relay messages, or otherwise warn surrounding US outposts of approaching danger. Though Native code talkers went relatively unheard of until the Navajo code in Word War II, they played an essential part in the US war effort. 

The sinking of 5 American merchant ships in March of 1917 was the entry of America into World War l against Germany on January 31, 1917. At the same time America was fighting another battle at home against the people who they viewed as “Indigenous.”At the same time struggles between Americans and “Indigenous” people over the land and rights was a continuous struggle that Native Americans would not give up. From the Native Americans perspective, it’s evident from their tails such as the “Ceremony” that they viewed Americans as creatures who destroyed and took over all that they came across. From early 1500 to early 1800s Native American’s culture was destroyed and they were removed from their land, but even after this Native Americans kept striving to have at least a citizenship in American by volunteering to fight for America in World War l 

For the younger generation of Native Americans, World War l also had a great impact on their overall lifespan because many of their paternal figures were taken away from them due to their effort to fight for their rights in World War l, for example John Sockbeso, who is now 86 years old and was the son of Henry. Henry was one of the nine Native American volunteers who fought with Americans against the Germans in order to obtain their nationality. Based on interviewees  by the historian Donald Soctomah, in the article “Smithsonian Unearthing Stories of First World War's Native Americans” he states that John Saockbeson tells the story of his father Henry, who volunteered in 1917 at age 28, and was exposed to mustard gas and never quite recovered from his symptoms after returning home.