msdiglib:From Delta State University’s Paxton Papers Collection, Series 2. A photograph of a Native
msdiglib:From Delta State University’s Paxton Papers Collection, Series 2. A photograph of a Native American man and a male African American soldier that are both enlisted in Company “A” of the 45th Infantry at Camp John Hay.This is a remarkable photo, but it’s not a Native American man. This was taken in the Philippines (Camp John Hay, Baguio, Mountain Province, Phillipines), of an indigenous Filipino man (I can’t be certain of his ethnicity right off the bat, there are thousands of islands and many peoples in the Philippines, but I might look into it later) and an African American soldier, sent by the US government to occupy the country after the Philippine-American War, because white people thought that Black people could better withstand the hardships of the tropics.What’s cool about the photo is the seeming rapport between the two men, which suggests the actual history of Black soldiers in the Philippines. Unfortunately for the white men in charge, many Black soldiers found commonality with the Filipinos they were sent to oppress. During the Philippine-American War, many Black soldiers refused orders to commit atrocities (though plenty of atrocities were committed anyway, often detailed in letters from US soldiers). Some dove into local culture, learned about martial arts and kickboxing, and brought that knowledge back to Black communities in the US, revolutionizing boxing. Some deserted the US army altogether, married and settled in the islands, where their descendants still live. -- source link
#philippineamerican war