After the Rains Came: Remembering Lori Piestewa

By ALAN NATACHU

TUBA CITY, AZ—Lori Piestewa was a 22-year-old Hopi mother of two who lived in Tuba City. She may be remembered by outsiders as the first Native American woman soldier to be killed in combat in a foreign country. But to her family and community, she was considered Mom, Daughter, Sister, Cousin, Family, and Friend.

On April 12, Army PFC Lori Piestewa returned back to the earth. She leaves behind her two children, a three-year-old girl and four-year-old boy, and her family and friends.

She was assigned to the 507th Maintenance Company, stationed out of Fort Bliss, Texas, prior to her coming home. News of the war in Iraq trickled down to her company. There, she packed her gear and prepared for her voyage.

Last Words

KFOX News interviewed Piestewa just before heading out to fight in Iraq. “It's very important to me knowing that my family is taken care of,” Piestewa said. “Knowing that they'll be o.k. while I'm out there, and I don't have to worry about anything while I'm out there.”

On March 23, Piestewa and her company were ambushed near Nasiriyah, Iraq. She and her company were considered MIA. It was only after an attempt to free American prisoners of war that they found out Piestewa, as well as several other members of her company, didn’t survive the ambush. There were seven POW’s found, five from the 507th Maintenance Company and two helicopter crewmembers from Ft. Hood, Texas. Jessica Lynch, Piestewa’s roommate, was the only POW rescued alive.

At times, there’s tension between the Hopi and Navajo Nations. But for the moment, people from the Navajo and Hopi reservations near Tuba City have put their differences aside to mourn Lori Piestewa and console one another for their loss of a loved one.

This uniting of people didn’t stop at reservation borders. Even outside the reservation, people have joined to make sure that Lori Piestewa’s memory is not forgotten.

Peak Renamed in Her Honor

Since the news of Piestewa’s demise overseas, the fight to change the name of Squaw Peak resumed. Many people, including Arizona governor Janet Napolitano and Phoenix Mayor Skip Rimsza, wished to change to the name to Piestewa Peak to honor the fallen hero.

Just recently, after a four hour meeting, the Arizona State Board on Geographic and Historic Names approved the change with a 5-1 vote.

Squaw Peak lies near Phoenix, AZ. For many years, Native Americans have tried unsuccessfully to change the name of Squaw Peak. “Squaw” is considered a derogatory and racist term towards Native American women. Its meaning is equivalent to prostitute or whore.

The Politics Behind the Name Change

But to change the name from Squaw Peak to Piestewa Peak encountered resistance. The Arizona State Board on Geographic and Historic Names has a rule that a person must be dead at least five years before such a name change could take effect. The rule was waived in order to have the name change put to vote.

Board Chairman Tim Norton wasn’t present at the meeting. A week before the meeting, Napolitano asked for his resignation after he refused to hear her petition to change the name of Squaw Peak.
Richard Pinkerton resigned just before the meeting took place. His resignation was in protest to what he calls political pressure from Governor Janet Napolitano.

Lloyd Clark voted against the name change. Clark, a local historian and former “Phoenix Gazette” copy editor, claimed the board was afraid of Napolitano. “We are acting in haste,” Clark said. “I am not a state employee so I have no fear. You are voting because your jobs depend on it.”

The State of Arizona employs all the members of the board, but they come from different agencies.

“The Right Thing to Do”

Martin Pasqualetti disagreed with Clark’s stance. “I wouldn’t care if the governor had made this proposal or a felon on death row made it, it is the right thing to do,” he said. Pasqualetti is a geography professor at Arizona State University.

For the state of Arizona, Squaw Peak will be renamed as Piestewa Peak. But on the national level, the name will still be Squaw Peak.

Karen Wood, a spokesperson with the Arizona State Board on Geographic and Historic Names approved Piestewa Peak.

On May 26, 2003, a new exhibit at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial will feature Piestewa’s story alongside five other Native American women who have served in the military. This exhibit will have two parts, with the first part opening at the Women in Military Service For America memorial. The second will begin with the 2004 dedication of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.

Copyright © 2003, IAIA Chronicle