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

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: