The struggle for the Western Sahara is often analyzed as a conflict of two seemingly irreconcilable nationalisms - Moroccan and Western Saharan. Among the Western Saharan nationalists, the Frente Polisario was virtually the only political grouping from 1976-2004. This paper analyzes Polisario's nationalist discourse during its formative years, from 1973-1976, not in the context of Moroccan/Western Saharan nationalist conflict, but in the context of inter-Sahrawi political contestation. Utilizing a collection of little-used Polisario materials from this period and seeking to reintroduce an important political context which is often overlooked, this discourse is analyzed both as an interesting case of internal struggle during decolonization and an important chapter in the evolution of Sahrawi nationalism. Viewing from the present, it is easy to see the ascendency of Polisario on the Sahrawi political scene as a forgone conclusion. Indeed, the often quoted summary lines from the 1975 Report of the UN Visiting Mission to the Spanish Sahara put forward an image of a Sahrawi people united behind the Frente Polisario. A full reading of the document, however, reveals a fierce internal contest over the future of the emerging Sahrawi nation. Polisario's domestic competition came in the form of the Partido de Unión Nacional Saharaui (PUNS), a movement supported by the Spanish which operated through established social and political groupings. The Visiting Mission noted opposing demonstrations, acts of sabotage, violence, and even the burning of a PUNS building. Ideologically, the PUNS and Polisario conflicted on several issues such as the role of armed struggle, the relationship to be retained with Spain, and the vision of future Sahrawi society. Various external parties and powers were also exerting themselves, resulting in an explosive political situation. Polisario's nationalist discourse during this period has a distinct character. Several features of this discourse are explored, such as the rooting of the Sahrawi nation in history, the role of heroes, martyrs, and battlefield defeats, and the positioning of the Sahrawi nation amid the worldwide liberation struggles of the time. Beyond nationalist conflict with Morocco and Cold War politics, this paper contends that the early struggle over the representation of the emerging Sahrawi nation is engrained in Polisario's discourse and that this has implications for the subsequent evolution of Sahrawi nationalism. By problematizing the PUNS/Polisario conflict in the context of Sahrawi national construction, a more nuanced view of the emerging Sahrawi nationalism is attempted.