Bruchac, Joseph - Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two

[oyceter]

I write short reviews so I can post them...

This is a competently written but not spectacular novel about the Navajo code talkers of WWII. What struck me most was Bruchac noting the discrepancy between the Navajos being forced to abandon their language earlier on (many of them have their mouths washed out with soap if they're caught speaking Navajo) and the US later needing that very language for the war.

While I admired the Navajos' willingness to fight for a country that had pretty much screwed them over, I'm angry that even then, they didn't get promotions or much recognition.

Comments

[chomiji]

It's sad that things didn't change much regarding treatment of the Native American soliders between the code talkers of WWI, who were mainly Choctaw, and those of WWII.

[oyceter]

It really is! It just made me so angry to see all the Navajo characters in the book willing to sacrifice their lives for a country that used them when it needed them and then ignored them or abused them during other times. (anger at the US and the military and the govt., not at the Navajo characters themselves)

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

(More comment-thread necromancy, as I trawl through your tags looking for more cool book recs!)

The Indians-in-the-military thing is just...kind of hard to explain. In terms of our actual numbers in the population of the country as a whole, we are just hugely, disporportionately represented in the military, and that goes back for generations. And some of it, especially when you're dealing with folks in some of the more remote, economically disadvantaged reservations, is the poverty angle, the chance to get out and see the world and get a job and money for education and opportunities that just are not available at home, albeit at the cost of risk to oneself. And part of it is just a general cultural thing, veterans are held in very great esteem and honored for their service and sacrifices, it's not so much about whether the conflicts they're thrust into are seen as just or unjust, popular or unpopular, it's more a focus on the individual and their willingness to put themselves out there. And a huge part of it, especially in settings like post-Pearl Harbor or post-9/11 where there is a feeling that the country is under attack, is that same sort of thing I mentioned in passing with the flag thing -- it's an identification with this country as something more than just the modern political entity that has such a horrible track record with its indigenous inhabitants, it's fighting for the homeland itself, no matter who may be in charge at the top.

...I'm probably not making a lot of sense here, am I? On the surface it might look a bit like all the young nisei men agitating to enlist in WWII so they could prove their loyalty in the face of the discrimination their families were facing. But for all the generations of Native men and women who've served, more often it seems much less about proving themselves to the powers-that-be, and more about the whole this is still our land too and we will still fight for it sort of angle; and a sense of continuity of warrior traditions for those tribes that had them. Back in WWI, for instance, the Iroquois Confederacy made their own formal declaration of war against Germany; we weren't included in the peace negotiations so come WWII we were automatically parties with the Allies, but nonetheless there were public renewals of the declaration (with Italy and Japan added in to the list), with tribal leaders in regalia on the Capital steps in DC reiterating our stance against the Axis. From the US government side I wouldn't be surprised if this sort of thing wasn't just seen as a cute little photo op for the buy-more-bonds propaganda newsreels, but from the Haudenosaunee side this was a bully pulpit from which to re-proclaim our status as sovereign nations.

As for the Code Talkers, for the Dine' of WWII the delayed recognition was a complicated thing, part of it is I'm sure the entrenched institutional racism that led to so many minority soldiers not getting the higher-level medals, etc. that their service records deserved, but part of it is also that their activities actually remained classified for DECADES. There were still native-language codes in use up through Vietnam. So really, the military couldn't publicize it, the veterans couldn't talk about it, etc., until everything was declassified.

Anyway, sorry for the core-dump! This is all stuff that's been on my mind in particular since this weekend's powwow had a particular focus on honoring veterans, even above and beyond the usual color guards and veteran recognition/participation in the grand entries. There was a presentation to the museum of a makeshift drum constructed from an oil can and cot canvas by Native troops who'd organized a powwow in Iraq, and ceremonies recognizing the National Guard sergeant who'd organized it; there were exhibition dances from the Kiowa War Mothers and warrior societies from other nations; and there was a special presentation honoring five Code Talkers who'd been brought in to serve as representatives for all the Code Talkers of past wars. (_{And I am still in TOTAL GIDDY SCHOOLGIRLISH GLEE at having the privilege to shake their hands and thank them in person...and having one of these beautiful elders compliment my, ah, rather anime-tastically-artificially-colored hair! SQUEE FAINT etc.})

[oyceter]

No, I think you are making sense! Thanks for the write up! I think a lot of my reaction is my imposing my own problems with nationality and patriotism onto the book, which is rather self-centered at best.

And ooo! The powwow sounds awesome!!

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Oh, no worries, I tend to have a bit of a kneejerk "what d'you mean WE, kemosabe?" twitchiness myself towards flag-waving in most settings, so I do hear you on that. And it's not like there aren't Indian folks who raise the same "why are we fighting for the opressors" issues -- in fact, I just got back from seeing this amazing activist Dine' punk band, Blackfire (http://www.blackfire.net/), and that was one of the subjects they were addressing between songs. But at the same time you can also find a lot of folks in Indian country who are pretty conservative politically.

And yes, the powwow was fabulous -- here on the East Coast we're sort of off the major circuit so the NMAI event is pretty much the biggest thing in town, and they only hold that every other year...sadness! Although maybe it'll take my knee that long to recover...this was the first year I managed to get over my shyness and anxiety issues enough to actually get up and dance, and I kind of overdid things trying to make up for lost time.

[pylduck.livejournal.com]

Interestingly, Bruchac edited an early Asaian American poetry called Breaking Silence.

[oyceter]

Oh cool, I didn't know that!

[pylduck.livejournal.com]

Oops. And by "Asaian" I meant "Asian," of course. Yeah, I didn't realize Joseph Bruchac was as Native American storyteller/writer until you made this post! This is actually quite fortuitous since I am researching overlaps between Asian American and American Indian literatures....

[oyceter]

Hee, yes ^_^.

Oh, that sounds like an awesome research topic!