'Patriot Nations' opens at Wanapum Heritage Center
Courtesy photo Rare language speakers like Corporal Henry Bahe Jr. and PFC George H. Kirk, both members of the Navajo, pictured in the South Pacific in December 1943.
WANAPUM DAM — The contributions made by Native Americans to the U.S. armed forces is the subject of a new exhibit at the Wanapum Heritage Center. “Patriot Nations: Native Americans in our Nation’s Armed Forces” is on display through May 8.
The Wanapum Heritage Center is located near Priest Rapids Dam, 29086 SR 243, Mattawa. Admission to the exhibit and the museum is free.
The traveling exhibit was produced by the National Museum of the American Indian, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution. The exhibit covers the story of Native Americans serving in the country’s armed forces since its founding. The exhibit is supported by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, based in the San Bernardino highlands of southern California.
The exhibit mostly has visited large cities, said Lela Buck, Wanapum Heritage Center director, so it’s an important honor to have it displayed in Mattawa. Buck is a member of the Wanapum Band.
The exhibit is “so meaningful to me because it shares a story that is an important part of our history,” Buck said. “We’re very grateful to share this exhibition with our community.” Along with the traveling exhibit, military veterans in the Wanapum Band will share their stories through photographs.
The exhibit also includes information on the National Native American Veterans Memorial, planned for the grounds of the National Museum of the American Indian. Completion is projected for Veteran’s Day 2020.
The exhibit “highlights the vital role Native Americans played in military service through our nation’s history,” Buck said. That service began while the country was being founded, in the Revolutionary War.
Native Americans fought in the War of 1812 – the Choctaw chief Pushmataha fought against the British in the Southeast – and in the Civil War. Among the Union volunteers was Ely S. Parker, who served on the staff of his friend Ulysses S. Grant and helped draft the document that ended the war.
Native Americans went “Over There” in World War I and served in every theater of World War II, in Korea and Vietnam, in the war against terror. Native Americans have received the highest awards for valor the nation can offer.
The exhibit includes the story of the Code Talkers, also immortalized by Hollywood. The Code Talkers solved a big problem, how to communicate by radio without the time-consuming work of encoding and decoding. The solution was to use the rare languages spoken by Native Americans.
The Wanapum Heritage Center is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.