Code talkers and talking wind 🌬️
Bringing you the second installment of my Q&A with Tyrone Whitehorse. Part 1 is here!
Tell more more about the Diné language itself. What might people be surprised to learn about it?
The Navajo language is part of the Athabascan language family. The Athabascan people are spread from Alaska, Canada, the Pacific Northwest, and the Southwest of the United States.
People who are part of the language family are the Gwich'in in Alaska, the Chipeweyan in Canada, the Willapa in Washington, the Hupa in California, the Navajo in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, and the Apache in Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. The closest language to Navajo is Apache, which is understandable to us. The other languages are not so recognizable, but there are words and aspects that are similar. The Diné language is very complex. There are twelve verb tenses that are used depending on who one is talking to, about, or with.
It’s also a very descriptive language. Words for modern technology, for example, describe what those things are or do, as opposed to using a new word. Radio is “talking wind." Television is "the wind that shows pictures", and computer is "the writing utensil that allows for large calculations". (Kristi here: I looked up the word for internet. Per this Diné YouTuber, it’s Béésh T'áá Bí Nitsíkeesígíí: “the metal that thinks on its own”. Because computers are made of metal!)
Given this complexity and fluidity of the language, it was well-suited for use during World War II. The Marines employed Navajos in the development and use of a code that was never broken by the Japanese. Even Navajos on the reservation could not break the code—it was all jibberish to them. This facilitated big victories in the Pacific theater, such as in Iwo Jima and Siapan. The inability of the enemy to break the code helped the U.S. turn the tide of the war toward an Allied victory.
P.S. An interesting Q&A here about why Native Americans continue fighting for the government that tried to wipe them out. They serve in the armed forces at a higher rate than any other demographic.
Below: Gems from Tyrone’s Instagram feed. (The second post is a series of two videos—swipe if you love adorable Diné grandmas.) I can’t get over Tyrone’s artwork and how beautifully he shares his culture and ancestry. More tomorrow!
Thanks for reading Gemini Mind! Elsewhere, you can find me as @yokizzi 💫