Document Type

Thesis - University Access Only

Award Date

2006

Department / School

Rural Sociology

First Advisor

Donna Hess

Abstract

This study examined two related questions: 1) Why do Dakota men volunteer for military service, particularly at rates that exceed those of other ethnic or racial groups? and 2) What does being a veteran of military service mean to Dakota men? The data for this study consisted of extended, semi-structured interviews with V nine Dakota men who are veterans of World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War I, and one Gulf War II enlistee. All but one of the veterans are members of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate (SWO) of the Lake Traverse Reservation, the one exception is from the Upper Sioux Community of Minnesota. Additional sources of data included the official newspaper of the SWO and other area news articles. A theoretical orientation drawn largely from Emile Durkheim and Erving Goffman were combined to investigate the research questions. The saliency of a warrior identity emerged not only as an individual identity among the veterans, but as a collective identity in the community as part of the renewal of Dakota traditions. The data provided support for the conclusions that the U.S. military afforded the men the means to attain a valued status as a warrior, that this identity is recognized and valued in the Dakota community, and that there is a strong association between veteran and warrior statuses. The veteran-warrior association may be unique among racial and ethnic groups in the United States. It emerged as a strong motivational factor in Dakota men's U.S. military enlistment.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Dakota Indians.
Indian veterans.
Military service, Voluntary.

Publisher

South Dakota State University

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Rights Statement

In Copyright