Haskell Indian Nations University opened 133 years ago, on September 17, 1884, as the U.S. Training and Industrial School—one of three original tribal boarding schools funded by the United States Congress. Three years later the school changed its name to Haskell Institute in honor of Chase Dudley Haskell, a U.S. representative from the Second Congressional District of Kansas and former chairman of the House Committee on Indian Affairs. The Haskell Institute graduated its last high school class in 1965, and five years later acquired accreditation as a junior college, changing its name to Haskell Indian Junior College. In 1993, Haskell successfully gained full accreditation as a university and the board of regents changed the name to Haskell Indian Nations University.

Regardless of its name, Haskell has a long-founded history of military involvement. The federal policy applied to tribal nations during the late 19th century was assimilation. The policy strictly forbade tribal peoples from displaying their tribal cultures, songs, dances, or tribal languages. Using military tactics as a form of compliance, these same policies of assimilation were applied to tribal students attending Haskell. Their hair was cut upon arrival, their tribal clothing and items burned and replaced with crew cuts and military uniforms. Both male and female students practiced military drills as part of their required daily routine.

As World War I began in 1914, tribal peoples were not even yet considered citizens by the U.S. government. Despite that, when the call to action was given, more than 10,000 tribal people enlisted to fight for the United States Armed Forces, with more than 75% enlisting voluntarily. Haskell Institute students, well-trained in government drills and coming from a long ancestral line of serving as warriors of their people, enlisted as well.

Haskell’s famed archway was dedicated in 1926 in honor of the Institute’s veterans who served in the Great War. It was the first World War I memorial in the United States.

Ironically, tribal languages were being used as perhaps the greatest military weapon in the war. One German prisoner of war admitted that the German military could break any code, but the Choctaw language that was used to convey messages completely stumped them. The Germans could not understand the language or its origin and hence could not decode it. The tribal languages that were strictly prohibited by federal policy ultimately helped the United States to win WWI, although this fact was not released immediately to the public.

In May 1917, an article in the Washington National Tribune noted, “Haskell Institute has several hundred boys trained and ready to fight, each fully uniformed, and every single one of them bright and alert, ready to fight for their native land if the president calls upon them.” This proved true with 415 Haskell students, alumni, and faculty voluntarily enlisting and serving in WWI.

Those who were fortunate to return from war reported back to the Haskell Institute and remained wards of the United States government. Students noted a change in their classmates who had returned, and that thought remained etched in their minds as they later graduated from Haskell. Those students who left the school to serve as teens now returned as men, decorated war veterans, displaying a new found sense of American patriotism. This patriotism can be found in student writings published in The Indian Leader, Haskell’s school newspaper. The publication recognized the contributions of Haskell student enlistees by gracing the cover of the January 1918 Indian Leader with a WWI service flag. This flag was later presented at the 1926 stadium and memorial archway dedication ceremony. Areplica of the service flag currently hangs from the rafters in the main floor exhibit space of Haskell’s cultural center.

In the ensuing years, Haskell students continued to display excellent military skills, perfecting daily each assigned task. On April 18, 1921, authorization came from General Order Number 9 for Haskell to organize the 137th Infantry Regiment, 35th Infantry Division, as an all-Indian machine gun unit. The newly formed Company “D” received federal recognition as a unit on May 9, 1921, equipped with eight machine guns, 16 mules and carts, five saddle horses, and one riding mule. It was established under Adjutant General Charles I. Martin, Commanding Troop Captain Paul A. Cannady, and Honorary Commander General Superintendent H.B. Peairs. The company was composed of 65 students representing 25 tribes from 12 states. The unit won numerous awards for their skill and marksmanship at national events, including drills for the Kansas Governor from 1924–1926. Perhaps their greatest acknowledgment was a special invitation to the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Standing out amongst thousands of applicants for their superior horsemanship, equine prowess, and marksmanship, 24 members of the United States Armed Forces All-Indian Troop at Haskell were chosen as personal guards for dignitaries of the event. On Saturday, June 10, 1939, the Haskell Guard escorted King George VI and Queen Elizabeth into the World’s Fair exhibit, “The World of Tomorrow.”

Early in 1924, Haskell announced a capital campaign intended to raise money to build a school stadium, with the hopes that all monies needed would be donated by tribal peoples. Ironically, about six months later, on June 2, 1924, the U.S. Congress passed the Snyder Act, also known as the Indian Citizenship Act, all-inclusive legislation that extended U.S. citizenship to all Indians within the United States. Prior to the Snyder Act, WWI veterans were offered U.S. citizenship, but the privileges that went with it were governed by state law, and tribal peoples—including decorated WWI veterans—were often denied the right to vote in the early 20th century.

Haskell held a grand, four-day celebration to dedicate its new stadium and archway, including what was billed as the “greatest pow-wow of all times.”

Over 2,500 tribal peoples ultimately donated $250,000 to the capital campaign—all of which was used to build the Haskell Stadium between 1925 and 1926. Two Haskell alumni, Agnes Quapaw and Alice Beaver Hallam, both from the Quapaw Nation, donated $15,000 to the campaign. The women specifically earmarked that their contributions be used to build an archway for the stadium. They stated that the Haskell archway would serve as the first tribal WWI memorial in honor of their Haskell classmates’ service contributions to the Great War, which had not been fully recognized or honored. In fact, the Haskell Archway was the first WWI memorial in the United States (the National WWI Memorial–Liberty Memorial in Kansas City was dedicated two weeks after the Haskell Archway ceremony, on November 11, 1926). Although U.S. President Calvin Coolidge was unable to attend the Haskell dedication, he sent a speech that was read at the dedication ceremony by Secretary of the Interior Hubert Work. President Coolidge noted that the dedication would go down in the annals of world history. The dedication gained tremendous support locally and grew to become a four-day event held October 27–30, 1926. Some 12,000 people held paid admission tickets to the official dedication and the football game that followed.

The WWI memorial dedication at Haskell was of tremendous historical significance. On the first day, 5,000 tribal peoples began arriving from across the nation to celebrate and honor the symbolism of the event. Many camped in an “Indian village,” staked out just south of campus. The following day, the play Hiawatha was performed to a sold-out stadium crowd. A huge parade was held on the third day, followed by Haskell’s very first intertribal powwow. WWI veteran Dan Scott (Osage) told Haskell Stadium fundraiser Frank McDonald, “We are going to have the biggest powwow of all time.” Despite the U.S. government’s active assimilation policy, which prohibited use of tribal languages, songs, dancing, or any display of culture, the Osage request for a special permit to have the powwow at the celebration was granted. The dedication grew to become a nationwide event, drawing an estimated 250,000 people to Lawrence, Kansas. At Haskell, non-Native attendees interacted with Natives, experiencing for the first time tribal culture that they had only read about.

Tribal contributions to the United States Armed Forces continued during World War II, where numerous code talker units were established and utilized, including the famed Navajo code talkers who received national recognition and the Congressional Medal of Honor in 2001. Tribal people served in greater numbers per capita than any other group in the United States, numbering 44,000 active service members. Despite tribal nations having the highest poverty rates in the country during WWII, they invested more than $50 million in war bonds, in addition to contributions to the Red Cross and other war relief societies. When considering those who left reservations to work in war-related industrial production, by 1945 one-third of the tribal population was participating either directly or indirectly in America’s war effort.

During the Korean War, 29,700 tribal people enlisted for military service and over 42,000 American Indians served in Vietnam. One out of four eligible tribal people served compared to one out of 12 of the rest of the population. Tribal code talking units were used again in both Korea and Vietnam.

Kansas’ all-Indian unit, Troop C of the 114th Cavalry, dressed in traditional regalia for this photograph taken in 1927. Despite efforts to assimilate Native peoples, students at Haskell embraced and took pride in their culture.

Today, Haskell has evolved into a multifaceted university. On the campus, visitors and alumni will find six tribal war memorials standing proudly as a legacy of sacrifice, determination, survival, and honor. Besides the WWI Memorial Archway, a WWII memorial statue known as Comrade in Mourning stands in Navarre Hall. The Haskell Alumni Association commissioned Apache artist Allan Houser in 1947 to create it, and it was dedicated January 28, 1949. A sculpture serves as the university’s Korean War memorial and can be found in Stidham Union—artist John W. Learned donated it to the Haskell Alumni Association, and it was dedicated on November 8, 1963. The Haskell Veterans Club commissioned Prairie Band Potawatomi tribal artist Barry Coffin to create a piece representing tribal mothers who lost a child in war. On May 13, 2005, a bronze sculpture was presented and stands outside the Haskell Cultural Center and Museum, facing the WWI Memorial Archway as the War Mothers Memorial. The area directly in front of the Cultural Center is landscaped and devoted as a tribal veterans memorial wall. With funds raised by the Haskell Veterans Club, commissioned pieces were made to represent the four branches of the military, honoring tribal contributions and Haskell alumni who gave their youth to this country. The final war memorial on the Haskell campus rests in the Cultural Center and Museum. As part of the permanent veterans exhibit, a Tribal Code Talker Medal is displayed honoring all tribal code talkers from every war.

Apache artist Allan Houser created the statue Comrade in Mourning in honor of those Native servicemen who gave their lives in WWII. It remains on display at Haskell today, one of the university’s many memorials honoring veterans.

 The 1926 Haskell Stadium dedication remains the largest event in the history of Lawrence, Kansas, and Douglas County. Although 90 years have passed since the original dedication, many people throughout the United States, including the Lawrence community, still have limited interaction with the 567 federally recognized tribal nations. The extraordinary nature of the events in 1926 challenged the federal assimilationist policy and helped to strengthen and unify the Lawrence community.

Over the years, Haskell alumni have continually recognized and honored the contributions of tribal veterans during the institution’s 133-year history. The first tribal war memorial is celebrating its 91st year. The 1926 dedication also established Haskell’s first homecoming. Continuing to honor the legacy left to us by our grandparents, Haskell is recognizing the contributions of Indian Country and Haskell alumni who made history when they first exercised rights of tribal sovereignty and created opportunities for future generations. The gift of the Haskell Stadium from the old generation to the new stands proudly as a display of tribal resilience, tenacity, and determination.

 Jancita Warrington (Potawatomi/Ho-Chunk) is a graduate of Haskell Indian Nations University and currently serves as the director and curator of the Haskell Cultural Center and Museum.

For an online tour of Haskell’s long history of honoring veterans click here.