page 4 kitsapweek Friday, April 25, 2014
Warriors
Continued from page 3 exhibit’s opening day. Active duty members can get discounted admission during its stay at the Suquamish Museum. “Native Words, Native Warriors is considered one of the best Native American traveling exhibits right now,” said Suquamish Museum Director Janet Smoak. “It is an exhibit that was put together by the National Native American Museum, which is a part of the Smithsonian Institution,” Smoak said. “It tries to tell the story, and does a really good job, of Native American participation in World War I and World War II, and the use of their indigenous languages. So if they were Navajo they used Navajo, if they were Suquamish they used Lushootseed, in communication in the field.” Realizing the value of native languages — which the enemy had little if any access to — the U.S. military used native speakers to communicate over radios during the wars. “Everyone had the same radio, and everyone was on the same frequency,” Smoak said. “So if you wanted to hide what you were doing, or obscure what you were doing, from the enemy, they used their indigenous languages.” “There was also a for-
Code talkers Private First Class Jack Nez, left, from Fort Defiance, Ariz., and Private First Class Carl Gorman, right, from Chinle Ariz., sit atop a hill overlooking the village of Garapan on the island of Saipan. Contributed mal program in WWI that the United States Army conducted which was codenamed ‘code talker’ that was primarily Navajos and Apaches,” she added. “That was primarily used in the air war. But almost anywhere you had more than one native
speaker in a unit, they would use their language.” The Native Words, Native Warriors exhibit highlights the code talker program, and the native language feature of the wars, through texts and pictures. The museum will also feature a variety
of lectures and documentaries in conjunction with the exhibit. The museum’s calendar will have a full list of events. The exhibit fits nicely with the standing features already at the museum. “Right now we already have medals in our leader-
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ship case which is in our been a very strong fammain exhibit,” Smoak ily tradition (of military said, further noting that service).” military Smoak service is notes that, “Native Words, Native per capita, something that the Warriors is considered Native Suquamish one of the best Native Americans people know have hisAmerican traveling about, rathtorically er well. volunteered exhibits right now.” “The for military Janet Smoak Suquamish service in have a higher numstrong warbers than rior tradition,” Smoak any other ethnicity in the said. “Fighting for your nation. people, and keeping “So here in Suquamish, your people safe was an and Indian country in extremely important task general, having an exhibit for everyone, men in parbased on the history of ticular.” the military is extremely “If you look at the popular,” she said. Suquamish, they have The Suquamish men and women veterMuseum is open 10 a.m. ans,” she said. “It’s part to 5 p.m. daily. Its calenof honoring that tradition, dar and other information and it’s a good career. A can be found online at lot of people go into it for www.suquamishmuseum. that reason, as well. Here org. locally, there has always
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On the cover Navajo cousins Private First Class Preston Toledo (left) and Private First Class Frank Toledo served in a Marine Artillery Regiment in the South Pacific during WWII. Both were code talkers. This photo was taken on July 7, 1943 in Ballarat, Australia.