navajo indians

His name wasn't Chester Nez. That was the English name he was assigned in kindergarten. And in boarding school at Fort Defiance, he was punished for speaking his native language, as the teachers sought to rid him of his culture and traditions. But discrimination didn't stop Chester from answering the call to defend his country after Pearl Harbor, for the Navajo have always been warriors, and his upbringing on a New Mexico reservation gave him the strength--both physical and mental--to excel as a Marine. During World War II, the Japanese had managed to crack every code the United States used. But when the Marines turned to its Navajo recruits to develop and implement a secret military language, they created the only unbroken code in modern warfare--and helped assure victory for the United States over Japan in the South Pacific.

Having escaped from Fort Davis, Texas, seventeen-year-old Danny Blackgoat, a Navajo, must still face many obstacles in order to rescue his family from Fort Sumner, New Mexico, and find freedom after the Long Walk of 1864.

The book details the lives of the Navajo, whose history is one of strength and survival.

Discusses the secret code developed by Native Americans based on the Navajo language, and the Navajo soldiers who contributed to the war effort through its use.

Explains Navajo history and highlights Navajo life in modern society.

The Navajo are one of the largest American Indian groups in the United States. More than 60 clans live in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. Learn more in The Navajo, one of the titles in the American Indian Art and Culture series.

"A history of the people and events that influenced the North American Indian tribe known as the Navajo, including headman Manuelito and conflicts such as the Second Battle of Fort Defiance"--.