07/13/2026
As a veteran and Cherokee Nation citizen and artisan… I had to share ❤️
They told generations of Native Americans that to succeed, they had to cut their hair.
Hide their language.
Bury their traditions.
Forget who they were.
For decades, Indigenous children were sent to boarding schools where their braids were cut off, their ceremonies banned, and their identities stripped away in the name of “assimilation.”
And yet… the culture survived.
Today, Specialist Moses Brave Heart of the South Dakota Army National Guard stands as proof of that survival.
An Oglala Sioux soldier serving his country with pride, discipline, and honor — while also honoring the traditions of his ancestors.
After receiving a religious accommodation from the U.S. Army in 2023, Brave Heart was officially allowed to grow his hair long and wear traditional Sioux head decorations, including an eagle feather, in official Army portraits.
To some people, it may seem like a small policy change.
But to Native communities across America, it means something far bigger.
It means a young Native soldier no longer has to choose between serving his country and respecting his culture.
It means identity is no longer something that must be hidden beneath a uniform.
It means the same nation that once tried to erase Indigenous traditions is finally beginning to recognize their value.
That matters.
Because Native Americans have one of the strongest military service traditions in the United States.
Despite centuries of broken treaties, stolen land, forced removals, and cultural suppression, Indigenous people have served in the U.S. Armed Forces at higher per-capita rates than many other groups in American history.
Think about the strength that takes.
To wear the uniform of a country that once outlawed your ceremonies…
while still carrying the spirit of your ancestors with pride.
That is resilience.
And Moses Brave Heart represents something powerful:
You do not have to erase your identity to be professional.
You do not have to abandon your heritage to be patriotic.
You do not have to become less Native to become more American.
For many Indigenous people, hair is sacred.
It represents strength, spirit, identity, ancestry, and connection to tradition.
For generations, cutting Native hair was used as a tool of control and humiliation.
Now imagine the symbolism of seeing a Native soldier standing proudly in uniform with long hair and an eagle feather visible for the world to see.
Not hidden.
Not ashamed.
Not forced to conform.
Respected.
That image carries weight far beyond one photograph.
It tells Native youth watching:
Your culture is not a weakness.
Your traditions are not something outdated.
You belong exactly as you are.
And maybe that’s what true inclusion actually looks like —
not demanding people erase themselves to fit in,
but making room for them to stand proudly as themselves.
Specialist Moses Brave Heart didn’t just win an accommodation.
He helped open a door.
And for many Native families across America, that door means hope.
What do you think?
Should honoring cultural and spiritual traditions be seen as a strength in the military rather than something that needs permission?
They told generations of Native Americans that to succeed, they had to cut their hair.
