Warriors and Healers of the Eastern Band of Cherokee: Peoplehood, Survivance, and Military Service in World War I (1917-1924)

My research examines the contributions of the Eastern Band of Cherokee warriors during World War I, emphasizing Indigenous agency, cultural survival, and community within a settler-colonial framework. It explores how these warriors navigated military service as both an assertion of sovereignty and a means of survival, using their enlistment to resist colonial erasure while maintaining their cultural identity. Through the application of the Peoplehood model and the concept of survivance, this study analyzes the interconnected roles of land, language, sacred history, and ceremonial practices in sustaining Cherokee identity. Furthermore, this study incorporates an Indigenous feminist perspective to emphasize the role of Eastern Cherokee women in maintaining the resilience of Cherokee communities and supporting the healing of warriors. The women served during the war as nurses, officers and occupied a generally white and male centered environment. After the war, some former warriors and women participated in political actions to improve the lives of indigenous peoples. They also had to learn to ret ingrate themselves in their community and society after such deep traumas; and for that they used their traditional healing practices and traditional stories. By combining archival research, oral histories, and an analysis of military service, my work contributes to ongoing discussions of Native sovereignty, military service, and the legacies of Indigenous resilience before, during, and after World War I. It underscores the enduring importance of Indigenous storytelling, archives, and collective memory in documenting the survival and revitalization of Cherokee culture in the face of historical violence and cultural suppression.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought

Department dc:contributor.department

Political Science

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Chambraud, Marie lys Therese Jeanne

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Cook, Samuel R.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Polanco, Edward Anthony
• Caraccioli, Mauro J.
• Cassinelli, Silas M.

• Eastern Cherokee
• warriorhood
• survivance
• military service
• Indigenous healing

Statement dc:rights

• Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

vt_gsexam:44805

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/138832