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Summary
Laura Tohe (Website) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss the stories of the WWII Navajo Code Talkers. Laura is a Diné author and the Poet Laureate of the Navajo Nation.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
- How the Code Talking units were formed
- How the Navajo people used their language as a weapon
- Laura’s father, Benson Tohe’s story
- Did the Japanese ever break the code?
Reflections
- The relationship between language and the state
- Storytelling and the power of oral history
And much, much more …
Quotes of the Week
“When they got into the service they were told, ‘Now you're going to use your language to develop a code.’ They said, ‘But, back at home they told us not to speak Navajo, and now they want us to develop a code in Navajo?’ So, they were not only astounded, they were puzzled why they would be asked to do this when they were in a school where their identity was being erased.” – Laura Tohe.
Resources
SURFACE SKIM
*SpyCasts*
- The 18-Year-Old Soviet Spy on the Manhattan Project: Ted Hall with Director Steve James (2023)
- ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL: “The D-Day Deception” with National WWII Museum Curator Corey Graff (2023)
- St. Ermin’s Hotel, London – The History of a Legendary Spy Site with Stephen Duffy (2023)
- Hitler’s Trojan Horse – Nazi Intelligence with Nigel West (2023)
*Beginner Resources*
- 1942: Navajo Code Talkers, Intel.gov (n.d.) [short article]
- Basic Navajo Introduction, YouTube (2012) [3 min. video]
- American Indian Code Talkers, WWII Museum (n.d.) [short article]
*Featured Resource*
- Code Talker Stories, Laura Tohe (Rio Nuevo, 2012)
DEEPER DIVE
Primary Sources
- Navajo Code Talkers: Oral History Interviews (various)
- Proclamation 4954 -- National Navaho Code Talkers Day (1982)
- Memorandum from Commander General Vogel to the Marine Corps Regarding Enlistment of "Navaho" Indians (1942)
*Wildcard Resource*
- Diné Bahaneʼ: The Navajo Creation Story
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