Native American POW

[infantry]

A few days ago, I came across this photo at a Turkish internet auction. The Ottoman script at the bottom says, "An American POW". But it looks like a tall tale to me. What do you think?

[Moonraker]

Also shown here as "Indian giant with German soldiers Date: {1914-1918}".

I don't think that the fact that the caption in the OP's photo is in Ottoman provides any clues and may mislead. I suspect that the photo has no other link with Turkey or any other country with Ottoman links. The tall man apart, all the people in it "look" German.

More than 4,000 First Nations soldiers fought for Canada during the war, and some of these would have been in action in early 1915 By autumn 1917, nearly 12,000 Native Americans had enlisted in the American Expeditionary Force. No doubt a few were captured. I imagine that recruits to both armies had their hair cut closely and it would have taken more than three years for hair to grow so luxuriantly.

The man's features do not particularly look like those of a Native American. Perhaps he's a performer in a travelling circus?

[infantry]

2 minutes ago, Moonraker said:

Also shown here as "Indian giant with German soldiers Date: {1914-1918}".

I don't think that the fact that the caption in the OP's photo is in Ottoman provides any clues and may mislead. I suspect that the photo has no other link with Turkey or any other country with Ottoman links. The tall man apart, all the people in it "look" German.

More than 4,000 First Nations soldiers fought for Canada during the war, and some of these would have been in action in early 1915 By autumn 1917, nearly 12,000 Native Americans had enlisted in the American Expeditionary Force. No doubt a few were captured. I imagine that recruits to both armies had their hair cut closely and it would have taken more than three years for hair to grow so luxuriantly.

The man's features do not particularly look like those of a Native American. Perhaps he's a performer in a travelling circus?

Thanks for the quick reply and the link. Of course, there is no connection with the Ottomans. Berlin sent many propaganda materials during the war. Most probably this photo came to Turkey within these. Yes the guy did not look like a native and the costume also did not look authentic and I don't think a native soldier fighting with these clothes. Cheers

[knittinganddeath]

A version of OP's photo is also held by the US Library of Congress, where it is inscribed in German on the back: "Ein interessanter Engländertyp inmitten deutscher Soldaten u. englischer Zivilgefangener" (an interesting Englishman amid German soldiers and English civilian prisoners). I seem to recall having read that some Native Canadians who were traveling with Wild West shows in Germany in the summer of 1914 were prevented from returning home when war broke out -- could they have been interned with other British civilians? However, that is a very vague recollection, don't quote me on that! (ETA: Having thought about it more, I think it might have been Inuit on tour in the UK who had trouble returning home in August 1914.)

The following picture was published in an American newspaper in January 1917. I would be agog if they actually wore these clothes into battle.

Source: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn99062018/1917-01-18/ed-1/seq-7/

Edited 20 January , 2023 by knittinganddeath

[Moonraker]

I've mentioned this GWF thread in the Canadian Expeditionary Force forum.

(I've been a member of the CEF Study Group for many years, though my participation usually relates only to the First Canadian Contingent on Salisbury Plain from October 1914 to February 1915.)

Edited 20 January , 2023 by Moonraker

[infantry]

I have a couple of German "Der Weltkrieg" cigarette cards. In addition to German soldiers and weapons they also produced "exotic" POWs inc. an Australian aboriginal. But there is no native American cards in the collection. They would certainly put it if they had such a giant native American. 

[Broznitsky]

I have to agree with the circus performer diagnosis on the first photo.  The second photo from Knitting is more interesting

The 107th Timber Wolves Battalion out of Winnipeg Manitoba and the 114th Brock's Rangers Btn. from Cayuga Ontario may have held the most indigenous soldiers in the CEF.  If the caption is to be believed, then the unit would likely be the 114th.  Not sure what they were doing up near Glasgow.  Both units were broken up in England, and the men distributed per the normal process.  

There was no "Regiment" full of Indian men in the front lines, and certainly they would not have been wearing traditional garb.  Any reported scalping of Germans ranks up there with female Turkish machine gunners chained to the Maxim.

[4thGordons]

There was a fascinating survey of men of Native American heritage in the AEF conducted after the war. A couple of years ago I transcribed the details of all the men state by state, there were a significant number who served in Europe, my combined list of transcribed names and basic details (nation, hometown, date of birth etc and unit in which they served) runs to 830+ individuals.

Chris