Today is Native American Day. At least where we live in Northern New York, which is right next to the Awkwesasne Mohawk Reservation. (Or more commonly reffered to as "the rez.") I thought this was an everywhere kind of holiday, but when I looked it up, it isn't any kind of official thing.
But it should be.
So here is a story about a remarkable man who happens to be Native American.
Betoli was only eight when he was sent to the residential schools. To be taught to act like a white man. And in the process, he was given a white man's name--Chester.
Life was not easy in the residential schools, as I am sure everyone is aware. All the things held precious by the Native Americans were stripped away, ridiculed, and forbidden.
Even their language, such an elemental tool was wrong. According to the people who ran these schools anyway.
The Navajo language was forbidden. Speaking it was a punishable offense.
But during the summers, Chester was able to go back to the Navajo lands and remember the things that made his people who they were.
I love this page, showing Chester in the two different worlds.
During WWII, the government needed a new code. Every other code had been broken and utilized by the enemies.
The government decided the Navajo language might just be what they needed. Chester and his friends were called up.
The government suddenly needed the language it had been trying to beat out of these Native American children and teens.
The Navajo codetalkers, chose an English word for each letter of the alphabet. A for ant, etc then translated those words into Navajo. The code word for the letter "A" became Wol-la-chee. Which had no bearing on the common languages the enemies would have access to when trying to decode the message.
In addition to creating the code, Navajo speakers were needed for decoding it on the front lines as well.
While not actively engaged in fighting, the code talkers witnessed the horrible atrocities of war.
Chester survived.
When he returned home, they did an enemy way ceremony to help him to relearn and recover the trail of beauty and the Right Way.
The Navajo code had done much to help the Allied war efforts and played a role in winning WWII.
Even though the Navajo Codetalkers were so vital to the war efforts, their work and their code were kept classified for over 20 years.
Fortunately for him, Chester did not let it bother him. He became a painter.
In 2005, sixty years after the end of WWII, Chester was one of five code talkers who received the Congressional Gold Medal.
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