(Originally Published Sunday, May 27, 2012 – Blogger: One Daughter’s Point of View)
I watched a program last night on the Navajo Code talkers. It was impressive for a variety of reasons.
During World War II, the Navajo were instrumental in the war effort by providing what became an unbreakable code. It was based on their native language which had no written form and the could be immediately interpreted by the Navajo. This allowed for not just accurate code transmission, but immediate decoding without the additional delays of cryptology tools. It was all transmitted and interpreted on the spot by the Navajo. It was so uniquely developed, that a Navajo untrained in the code but knowledgeable of the language, couldn’t even break the code when held as a prisoner of war by the Japanese.
But I think what impressed me most, was the eagerness of the Navajo to join the war and support their country who had come under attack. All of this despite the recent history of oppression by our government to the Navajo.
In the 1860s, the Navajo were subjected to what became known as The Long Walk. The Long Walk was a forced march that expelled them from the safety of being surrounded by their four sacred mountains. Eventually, the Navajo were allowed to return to their home between the sacred mountains, but had to give up their culture. They were required to school children in ‘white schools’ and had to give up their native language.
The Navajo native language is so complex, that unless you learned it as a child, you’d probably never be able to learn it. People were beaten for speaking the language. One Code Talker remembered being chained in the basement for a couple of days because he’d been caught speaking Navajo.
Thus the irony, that when America is viciously attacked at Pearl Harbour by the Japanese, the young Navajo men felt compelled to fight in the defense of their country. And they were able to serve America so poignantly via their ‘forbidden’ language.
It’s a truly compelling story for both Native Americans and America as a whole. It’s a story of cultural pride, American patriotism, and military service. It’s the kind of story that is wonderful to learn about and makes you want to really honor those marines – the Navajo Code Talkers – as we celebrate the sacrifices of patriots this Memorial Day.
For more information on Navajo Code Talkers, visit http://navajocodetalkers.org/.
A Robynn’s Chirps 