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*
*Beginner Resources*
*Featured Resource*
DEEPER DIVE
Primary Sources
*Wildcard Resource*
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