Ni-he da-na-ah-taj ihla, yel khol-go e-e-ah. Day-ne tal-al-tso go enta-she-jah tal-tso-go entas-se-pah.
Did you decipher that? It’s not likely you did -- those phrases are a variation on Navajo. While the uncrackable language of the code talkers that was employed during World War II saved many lives, the men who spoke it remain largely unknown and unrecognized. The Heard Museum exhibit “Navajo Code Talkers: Photographs by Kenji Kawano” may change that. The collection of poignant photographs of Navajo Code Talkers tells the story of the Navajo people and how they changed the course of history.
By the way, the translation to the sentences above? “From dawn to setting sun, our flag waves. We have fought every place where we could take a gun.” Don’t feel bad; Japan couldn’t figure it out either.
Mondays-Saturdays, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Starts: Oct. 27. Continues through March 3, 2012
