Words of praise honor code talkers

Tribal chiefs, museum directors and other honored dignitaries spoke memorable words Thursday at the Oklahoma History Center.

Yet none of their words were as important as those spoken by the heroes they hailed.

Such is the legacy of the American Indian code talkers.

Descendants of the code talkers were among those who gathered to remember the deeds of their ancestors during World War I and II in the premier of the exhibit "Hidden Voices, Coded Words." The exhibit compliments a National Museum of the American Indian traveling showcase about the Navajo code talkers. It will be on display through Jan. 15.

"Take time to look at this exhibit," said George Horse Capture of the National Museum of the American Indian. "Their story has never been appreciated or known to outsiders."

Colorful storyboards and artifacts guide the visitor through the exhibit, taking them back to the earliest-known organized units of American Indian code talkers. Eighteen Choctaw soldiers in the U.S. Army hold the distinction of being the first to use their native language to confuse enemy code-breakers in 1917.

Later, before the outbreak of World War II, organized units of Comanche and Navajo soldiers were trained to serve as code talkers. They often are credited for playing a crucial role in victory, having never had their codes broken by the Japanese or Germans.

"I think it is long overdue to have the code talkers recognized," said Marina Kassanavoid, 91, the widow of Comanche code talker Forrest Kassanavoid.

Jeff Moore, the Oklahoma History Center's director of exhibits, considered it an honor to research the material for the displays.

"We're very proud of the way the exhibit came out," Moore said. "To me, one of the poignant elements to this story is the fact that these code talkers came from Indian boarding schools where they were forbidden to speak in their native language.

"One day, they are being punished for speaking their languages. The next day, they are being asked by the government to be code talkers. Amazing."