By: Suzanne Heck, Ph.D., A.P.R.
The We-Ta-Se American Legion Post 410 Color Guard, who are tribal members from the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, a tribe located in northeast Kansas, represented American Indians with dignity during several Lewis and Clark events that took place along the trail in Missouri and Kansas last summer.
Seven men came together with the common bond of being Prairie Band Potawatomi and all having served in the military. Most of them had served in Vietnam but in different branches of service. Three had served in the U.S. Army, one in the U.S. Marines, one was in the U.S. Navy, and another served in both the U.S. Army and the U.S. Navy throughout the Vietnam conflict. The eldest member of the group, who is 79 years old and a veteran of both World War II and the Korean campaigns, served for 20 years in the Air Force. Two other elder veterans also participated by transporting the men and filling in when ever they were needed.
The We-Ta-Se American Legion Post #410 is one of the oldest American Indian American Legion Posts in the United States and they are celebrating their sixteenth year this year. We-Ta-Se which means “he who is brave” in the Potawatomi language has over 100 tribal members. They have their own building on the Prairie Band Potawatomi reservation that is staffed with two full-time veterans. The staff assists other tribal veterans in need and also organizes all of the Post’s activities that are many. For example, last year We-Ta-Se participated in over 50 events including parades, powwows, and Native American funerals. Notable performances besides the Lewis and Clark commemoration, have included performing at Kansas City Chiefs football games, Kansas City Royals baseball games and being honored as the primary color guard during the memorial service for Lori Piestewa, the first Native American woman killed in combat.
The We-Ta-Se color guard uniform is a blend of American military and traditional Potawatomi styles. They wear black pants and starch white shirts that are adorned with traditional Potawatomi ribbon work that is sewn on by a Potawatomi elder woman who is the mother of one of the veterans. Added touches to their uniform include the wearing of Garrison military hats, white gloves, Indian jewelry, and black military boots.
The color guard performed at parades, at Lewis and Clark site dedications, and at all three Lewis and Clark Signature Events held in Kansas City, Missouri, Leavenworth, Kansas, and Atchison, Kansas during the Fourth of July weekend. They also represented American Indians in a documentary of the reading of the Declaration of Independence produced by Bill Kurtis Productions that was simulcast on huge Jumbotron television screens during the Fourth of July weekend. Kansas Lewis & Clark organizers were so impressed with the We-Ta-Se color guard that they called upon them to participate in several other events that occurred during the Lewis and Clark commemoration.
At every stop the We-Ta-Se color guard proved to be a popular attraction. They were often sought by the media for interviews and their professional appearance and poise as a contemporary American Indian military group showcased them in a positive and dignified manner that commanded a lot of respect from the general public.
When asked why they wanted to participate in the Lewis and Clark commemoration when other Indian groups had opposed being involved, one of the men said that he wanted to show the general public that the image of Indians changed. “I want people to see that Indian people are contributing members of society and that we are a professional group,” said Jim Darnall, We-Ta-Se’s commander. “We should be as respected as anyone else.”
As a tribute of the great respect and admiration that the Prairie Band Nation has for their veterans the tribe has recently erected a Veteran’s Memorial Wall in their Prairie Peoples Park in which over 300 names are listed. The color guard also participates in many activities and events on the reservation and hosts their own powwow each year for the Nation, which draws hundreds of dancers and people from all across Indian country.
Suzanne Heck, Ph.D., A.P.R., is coeditor for the Potawatomi News and editor of the Kansas Lewis & Clark’s Bicentennial Commission Native American Resource Handbook
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