Preserving Values

This article explores the prevenance of militarization within the important cultural and political space of the powwow. Finding popular explanations of military service (such as poverty, lack of opportunity, and desired upward social mobility) insufficient in explicating the visibility of militarization, this work illustrates how colonially suppressed values have been enacted through the creation of new symbols and forms of practice. Looking to the use of warrior staffs, the Lakota sacred numbers, and the Lakota Flag Song, the article focuses on warriorhood and illustrates how traditional cultural practices are preserved through cunning navigations and transformations of colonial landscapes, allowing for a creative expression of individual and communal sovereignty.