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

Wildcard Resource

Diné Bahaneʼ: The Navajo Creation Story

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“My Father the Navajo Code-Talker” – with Laura Tohe 01:03:44 Share

SpyCast

Shownotes Transcript

“My Father the Navajo Code-Talker” – with Laura Tohe