U.S. Marine Native American Woman in Uniform

[gunbarrel]

I picked up this 8x10 photo recently from a guy that said that it belonged to his aunt, who was in the U.S.M.C. Women's Reserve and had been stationed in Mojave during WWII. I figured that there werent that many women Marine, and even less who were Native Americans, so I got it. There is a website of Native American women who were in the service; I'm going to send them a copy to see if they can tell me more about this young lady. The photo is inscribed 'Good Luck to a Very Nice Girl - Dottie Sakiestewa, "Indian" Friend.' The photo is dated 11 Jan 1945.

 

Hope you enjoy it!

[llafoe]

Santa Fe National Cemetery

Santa Fe, Santa Fe County, New Mexico

 

Sakiestewa, Dorothy P., b. 01/10/1917, d. 08/19/1980, CPL - USMC, Plot: 3 248, bur. 08/21/1980

[Bob Hudson]

Name: Dorothy P Sakiestewa

Service Info.: CPL US MARINE CORPS WORLD WAR II

Birth Date: 10 Jan 1917

Death Date: 19 Aug 1980

Service Start Date: 23 Apr 1943

Service End Date: 28 Sep 1945

Interment Date: 21 Aug 1980

Cemetery: Santa Fe National Cemetery

Cemetery Address: 501 North Guadalupe Street P. O. Box 88 Santa Fe, NM 87501

Buried At: Section 3 Site 248

 

 

She was Navajo.

[Bob Hudson]

llafoe you beat me by one minute

[gunbarrel]

Wow! Y'all don't mess around!

 

Thank you!

[Nkomo]

Interesting. Sakiestewa is a Hopi name. However, the Hopi and Navajo Reservations butt right up next to each other. Just odd.

Arch

[Bob Hudson]

I was looking at the census which showed the family in the Western Navajo Agency and jumped to conclusions when I should know better. My best friend lives there in Tuba City and whenever he gives a reference to the time I have to ask whether it's Navajo time or Hopi time (due to Arizona's quirky time the Tuba City area has two time zones part of the year).

 

I'm not a big fan of donating items to museums, but this photo or a good copy of it would be a good candidate for donation to a Hopi museum or historical organization so that the story of her service will be preserved.

[Nkomo]

I was looking at the census which showed the family in the Western Navajo Agency and jumped to conclusions when I should know better. My best friend lives there in Tuba City and whenever he gives a reference to the time I have to ask whether it's Navajo time or Hopi time (due to Arizona's quirky time the Tuba City area has two time zones part of the year).

 

I'm not a big fan of donating items to museums, but this photo or a good copy of it would be a good candidate for donation to a Hopi museum or historical organization so that the story of her service will be preserved.

Tuba City, huh? My wife and her family are from a little place called Inscription House, AZ which is about an hours drive from Tuba City. I lived out in that area for 3 years and I miss it. Beautiful scenery and nice people.

[gunbarrel]

I was looking at the census which showed the family in the Western Navajo Agency and jumped to conclusions when I should know better. My best friend lives there in Tuba City and whenever he gives a reference to the time I have to ask whether it's Navajo time or Hopi time (due to Arizona's quirky time the Tuba City area has two time zones part of the year).

 

I'm not a big fan of donating items to museums, but this photo or a good copy of it would be a good candidate for donation to a Hopi museum or historical organization so that the story of her service will be preserved.

 

FS,

 

So, was she Hopi, or Navajo?

 

Find out if they want a copy of it, and I'll be glad to send them a good scan, which can be developed into a good copy. All I ask is that they mention that it's from my collection. I recently did this with one of my shotgun photos that was featured in Bruce Canfield's latest US combat shotguns book.

[Bob Hudson]

FS,

 

So, was she Hopi, or Navajo?

 

Find out if they want a copy of it, and I'll be glad to send them a good scan, which can be developed into a good copy. All I ask is that they mention that it's from my collection. I recently did this with one of my shotgun photos that was featured in Bruce Canfield's latest US combat shotguns book.

 

 

I will defer to nkomo on this and if he says it's a Hopi name then she would be Hopi. Hopi lands have long been surrounded by Navajo lands and it does not surprise me that the 1940 government census takers would not differentiate between the Navajo Agency and Hopi lands surrounded by the agency.

 

The Hopi Cultural Preservation Office might be the place that would want a copy of the photo and info: http://www.nau.edu/~hcpo-p/