‘The Way of the Warrior’ examined in University Roundtable talk

The warrior tradition of Native Americans is the topic for the University Roundtable luncheon presentation scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 11, at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Patty Loew, associate professor of life sciences communication at UW–Madison, will present bits from her award-winning documentary “The Way of the Warrior” for the Nov. 11 program, which also marks Veterans Day. Loew is a producer at Wisconsin Public Television, where she hosts “In Wisconsin,” and is a member of the Bad River band of Lake Superior Ojibwe.

Loew long wondered what motivated Native American soldiers to fight in the U.S. military, for a country that considered them outsiders. Her “Way of the Warrior,” a one-hour documentary that aired nationally on the PBS network, explores these questions.

In chronicling the war stories of Native American soldiers from World War I to Vietnam, “Way of the Warrior” offers an interesting counterpart to Ken Burns’ seven-part series “The War,” which was criticized by some for neglecting the contributions of minority soldiers in World War II.

Like Burns, Loew uses historical footage, primary documents and interviews with veterans and their families to relate deeply personal tales of bravery, heroism and loss. But she also probes social stereotypes and aspects of tribal cultures that have made the experiences of Native American soldiers unique.

Featured speakers at University Roundtable discuss their work at the university as part of a series of engaging talks on timely, interesting topics.

The programs feature a buffet lunch that begins serving at 11:30 a.m. at the Memorial Union — in Tripp Commons in November and in Great Hall in December — are open to members of the university community and their guests, and each luncheon costs $10.

The reservation deadline is one week prior to each event, and reservations can be made online at http://www.ohrd.wisc.edu.

Reservations can also be made through Donna Silver at 608-263-2985 or dlsilver@wisc.edu. Checks made out to UW Roundtable can be sent to Silver at 270 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive.

The final fall semester program is on Wednesday, Dec. 15, when doctoral students in voice in the School of Music will present seasonal selections of art music titled “Songs for the Solstice.” This event will be held in Great Hall of Memorial Union, 800 Langdon St.