As the United States marks the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the solemn milestone offers an opportunity to examine how that historic morning reshaped the nation. For millions who witnessed the tragedy unfold, the memories of the hijacked airliners striking national landmarks remain indelible. Yet for Indigenous communities across North America, the anniversary also highlights a profound legacy of deep-rooted ties, service, and sacrifice that connects tribal nations to the broader American story.
The terror of that morning began at 8:46 a.m., when the first hijacked passenger jet slammed into the World Trade Center’s north tower in New York City. While early television coverage on programs like NBC’s Today Show initially speculated that the disaster was a catastrophic aviation malfunction, the reality of an orchestrated attack became undeniable just 18 minutes later. Millions watched in horror as a second commercial airliner struck the south tower on live television, cementing the grim realization that the homeland was under coordinated assault.
The devastation rapidly extended beyond Lower Manhattan. A third airliner was flown directly into the Pentagon, striking at the heart of the nation’s military command. Soon after, a fourth hijacked plane, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed into an open field in Pennsylvania after heroic passengers and crew members fought to wrest control of the aircraft away from the hijackers, preventing it from reaching its suspected target of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
For Indigenous citizens, the national emergency underscored the profound nature of holding dual citizenship. Native Americans carry sovereign status as members of their respective tribal nations while simultaneously belonging to the United States. This multifaceted identity became acutely visible as the attacks forced an immediate shutdown of airspace and normal operations across the country.
The chaos of the day directly impacted tribal governance, as multiple delegations of American Indian leaders happened to be in the nation’s capital for federal policy negotiations. Among those caught in the capital during the shutdown was a high-level delegation from the Navajo Nation, which included Navajo Nation President Kelsey A. Begaye along with various council delegates and administrative personnel.
To reassure citizens back home, Edward T. Begay, the Speaker of the Navajo Nation Council, issued a formal statement published in the Navajo-Hopi Observer. Speaker Begay confirmed that the entire Navajo delegation was accounted for, uninjured, and in continuous contact with tribal headquarters in Window Rock, Arizona. Tribal officials immediately began formulating logistics to bring the leadership home as soon as federal authorities lifted the nationwide grounding of flights.
Beyond the immediate crisis, Indian Country held historical ties to the World Trade Center that stretched back decades before the towers collapsed. During the late 1960s and into the 1970s, hundreds of legendary Mohawk ironworkers traveled to Manhattan to assemble the steel framework that erected the Twin Towers. Their specialized skill and daring labor played an indispensable role in defining the iconic New York skyline.
When the complex was destroyed, that ancestral connection prompted Mohawk descendants to return to the site. Ironworkers traveled back to Ground Zero to assist in the grueling and dangerous task of clearing twisted steel and rubble from the site. This enduring relationship between the community and the landmark was eventually immortalized in an exhibition at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City.
In the aftermath of the attacks, Native Americans responded to the call of military service in remarkable numbers, enlisting in the U.S. Armed Forces at a rate higher than any other demographic group. Their wartime contributions were captured in-depth by Osage photojournalist Steven Clevenger, who spent three years embedding with and documenting Indigenous service members during the Iraq War.
Clevenger compiled his extensive visual and written reporting into the published work, "America's First Warriors: Native Americans and Iraq." His work delved into the enduring ethos of modern Indigenous military participation, observing that the fundamental cultural definition of a warrior has remained unbroken since pre-Columbian times: acting first and foremost as a dedicated protector of the people.
While nearly 3,000 lives were claimed in the initial attacks on Sept. 11, the human toll of the tragedy expanded drastically in the decades of conflict that followed. A research report issued by the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University detailed the immense scope of the post-9/11 wars conducted between 2001 and 2023 across battlefields in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Yemen, and other regions.
According to the Watson Institute's Costs of War Project, an estimated 940,000 individuals lost their lives due to direct wartime violence. When factoring in the widespread devastation to infrastructure, food supplies, and public health, the institute calculated that an additional 3.6 million to 3.8 million people perished from indirect consequences of these conflicts, pushing the estimated cumulative casualty count between 4.5 million and 4.7 million human lives.
Alongside the immense loss of life, the economic toll of these prolonged military engagements reached astronomical proportions. Brown University researchers determined that the United States government spent or accumulated financial obligations exceeding $8 trillion to sustain the global war on terror—resources that might otherwise have been channeled toward domestic needs and global societal advancement.
Looking back over a quarter-century, Indigenous perspectives note that the realities of conflict and defense are foundational to the American experience, recalling how Native ancestors fiercely resisted violence to safeguard their lands. Furthermore, recent internal political violence, such as the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, serves as a sobering reminder of the ongoing challenges confronting the republic from within.
Commemorating the 25th anniversary of 9/11 brings a renewed call for solidarity against threats whether from foreign adversaries or domestic divisions. Drawing upon the traditional phrase "Thayék gde nwéndëmen"—meaning "We are all related"—the anniversary emphasizes that collective resilience and unity remain vital for the protection and future of all people across the nation.
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