The Navajo Tribe was extremely important to the United States. Their code was so relevant to our military, that every Navajo traveled and voyaged everywhere with a personal bodyguard. They were expected to memorize their sacred language and code to ensure that no one would ever be able to understand it besides those authorized. 800 errorless messages were sent during the war. Japanese cryptographers were never able to decipher the code that the Navajos thought up. It is to this day known as one of World War Two's biggest secrets.

The Navajo Tribe:

     The Navajo Tribe had a huge impact on the United States history. But, their way of life is quite confusing. For example, children were born into their mother’s clan (Iverson 3). Also, once young women hit puberty, they were at the age to be married (Iverson 3). The Navajos and their families lived in what seemed to be a little shack called a Hogan (Iverson 3). The tribe was also very creative and intelligent in many possible ways. They developed a ceremonial system that included many rituals that were sacred to their tribe (Iverson 3). One researcher explains, “They were the largest group of Native Americans in the U.S.” (Navajo Code Talkers- WWII.’s Biggest Secret 2). Because of this, the tribe benefited greatly to all of the people.

                                                                                                         This is a picture of a Hogan.

           Their Part in the War:                                     

     The Navajos had one of the most relevant roles in WWII and helped with numerous battles. 400 Navajos eventually served, and they spoke a secret code (Secret Radio Codes 9). The first 29 Navajo men were chosen to create and test their code ( The Navajo Tribe 2). They used encoded versions of their language to transmit messgages, information, and instructions over radio calls (Secret Radio Codes 9). They could do this in a small amount of time between ships in the Pacific Ocean (Secret Radio Codes 9). It is told that, “Each talker was so valuable, he traveled everywhere with a personal body guard.” (Navajo Code Talkers- WWII.’s Biggest Secret 2.) Therefore, these Navajos part in the war was secretive and sacred to the United States for the outcome of winning the war.

                                                                                                    This is a picture of two Navajo code talkers.

                               The Code:                                                               

     The code was built off of the Navajo language. Some believed it served an easy basis for a code (Seceret Codes 9). And to this day, the names of some original code talkers, such as Chester Nez, are still known (The Navajo Tribe 2). The Navajos sent 800 errorless messages over the radio (The Navajo Tribe 2). There were also 411 terms that the Indians had to memorize (The Navajo Tribe 2). Chester Nez explains, “Everything we used in the code was what we lived with on the reservation every day.” (Navajo Code Talkers- WWII.’s Biggest Secret 2). The code allowed communication between ships.

                                                                                This is a picture of Cliff Palace, a place where the Navajos lived. 

             Japanese Cryptographers:                   

     The Japanese had another tough time trying to decipher the Navajo’s code. They even had trained masters in Tokyo working on it (The Navajo Tribe 2). But, they were never able to crack the code (Iverson 3). They had also never heard the language or anything like it before (The Navajo Tribe 2). That did not even help them try to decipher the well thought out code. Since the secret was kept, it was known as one of the twentieth century’s best known secret (The Navajo Tribe 2). A researcher describes, “Throughout the war, the Japanese were repeatedly baffled and infuriated by the seemingly inhuman sounds.” (Navajo Code Talkers- WWII.’s Biggest Secret 1). The code made the United States and the Allies victorious.

Some of the Code:

TOH-NIL-TSANH: Very Little Water

HA-IH-DES-EE: Alert!

YAL: Money

HO-NEZ-CLA: Emergency

TA-HA-AH-TAY: Possible

NE-TSA-CAS: Think it's Over

These just happen to be some of the words that come from the Navajo Code Talkers' Dictionary.

References:

Cliff Palace atMesa Verde, in Colorado. N.d. http://www.discoveryeducation.com/‌. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2010. 10.

“Code Talkers.” Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. N.p., 2010. Web. 6 May 2010. 1.

The Navajo Tribe.docx Hitt, Jack. “Navajo Code Talkers- America’s Biggest WWII. Crypto-Secret.” www.rense.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 May 2010. 2.

Iverson, Pete. The Navajos. Pheonix: Chelsea House Publishers, 1990. Print. 3.

Iverson, Peter. “Navajo.” Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. N.p., 2010. Web. 6 May 2010. 4.

Keet Seet Ruin at Navajo National Monument. N.d. http://www.discoveryeducation.com/‌. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2010. 5.

Native Americans in World War II. Discovery education. Film. 6.

A Navajo Hogan at Datil, New Mexico, 1940. 2005. http://www.discoveryeducation.com/‌. Web. 10 May 2010. 7.

Navajo Indians serving in a Marine Radio Unit. N.d. http://www.discoveryeducation.com/‌. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2010. 8.

“Secret Radio Codes...The Code Talkers.” ebscohost.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2010. 9.

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