The language of the Navajo tribe helped win World War II. Now, some 70 years later, a movie studio is part of an effort to keep the Navajo language alive - enlisting the help of a friendly little fish. Jim Axelrod reports.
Amazing isn't it? Pre-WWII, the US government tried to systematically eradicate Navajo (along with countless other indigenous languages). Navajo children were beaten for trying to speak their own language. Then in WWII, the US suddenly realized that English-only communication was detrimental to its war efforts and recruited Navajo soldiers to aid its fight. How lucky was the US government that Navajos, despite being treated like dirt, were still willing to fight because they valued defending their home over past grudges?
@İnsan "Europeans" aren't the problem, it's land-ownership. Hardly a new concept. Keep in mind those Europeans also brought science, medicine, art, and more progressive Europeans brought the ideas of equality and respect for others and that war and destruction are our collective undoing. Enemies come from everywhere -- so do allies.
@@lohphat Keep in mind that Europeans had worse technology in many ways than the Nahua (Aztecs did). If they had never beem bothered, Native American nations would have gotten things like surgeries and sewer systems as well.
Good Job Quinton, from the little clips I heard; your navajo is great. You make your grandma and our Navajo people proud by keeping our language alive. May you succeed in all you endeavors.
Oh Wow! I love this! I wish they would dub this brilliant film (and other Disney and Pixar films) in languages which are in danger of dying out. Imagine Finding Nemo or Brave in Scottish Gaelic! ^^ I would be so happy!
My bf is Scottish and he knows very little Gaelic! I tried to find a translator that we could learn from it’s there but it doesn’t have any verbal words no Phrases. So we can pronounce the words correctly. 😢
This is great. I'm hoping to see it tomorrow in Gallup. I hope they keep translating movies and other common things (like road signs and other everyday things) into Diné bizaad. Ahéhee' Disney!
it depends on the family and of course how much the kid wants to learn. Many children are more fluent in navajo if theyre taught when they're young and there's more kids fluent in the language the further you get from the border of the reservation. Navajo is taught in the schools in Flagstaff and Leupp but in only about 5 schools. so even though I'm enrolled in the class a lot of what I learn I learned from my grandparents who only speak Navajo. in fact my church holds the majority of its service in Navajo and the hymns we sing like amazing grace, how great thou art, and many more are in Navajo. It's really sad that not more kids want to learn the language but then again it is difficult because of how many verbs and interpretation there are. Just to get a point a across the pronunciation has to be perfect or you could be saying something entirely different 😂
Most of the Navajo language died out during the late 1800s. After the Navajo Long Walk(1864), every navajo child from 6 to 16 was forced to go to school where the would learn to be "civilized" and "modern". These schools discouraged the navajo language strongly; some would even wash the kids mouth at with soap if they spoke their language. After this, the kids grew up and eventually realized they had to teach their kids English because that was the "only way". This repeated through generations until today
It's amazing how people think English is #1 but being bilingual is a gift. People will try to take your voice from you but it is something you have to actively cherish, develop, use and preserve. The Dine people are a gift to us all.
this is so amazing! I wish I can visit the diné one time in my life and maybe learn navajo :) greetings from Berlin Germany ♡ (I really think that navajo is an important part of your world and have to stay alive) [and I really hope my english is ok 😅☺]
Thanks. I’m learning German and hope to visit Germany some day. Listening to non Navajos learn has really inspired me to try learning it. I hope you can visit us someday
I'm Navajo by my dad's side I really wish he spoke to me in Navajo when I was younger so I'd be able to speak it I'm going to learn it and when I have kids I am going to talk to them in Navajo and English it still makes me a little sad I dont know it but eventually
Currently reading Anne Hillerman's novel and stumbled upon this Navajo translated movie Finding Nemo, got curious and KaBAMMM... delighted to hear some of the words from this language that I've had read for a long time..
Oh my god...I have this movie. Aha ill listen to it without subtitles and I'll understand most of it. 💞 I'm so proud to be Navajo. I wish I grew up talking my launguage. But I was so happy see in the window rock museum showed. I grew up around that area.
