Another Viewpoint

After reading a number of recent negative comments regarding the movie “Windtalkers,” I am compelled to express my thoughts regarding the positive aspects of the movie.

It wasn’t too long ago that movies portrayed Native Americans as savages whose language consisted primarily of “Ugh,” “How” and “Yah-ta-hey.”

“Windtalkers” is light years beyond that—it gives Navajo People much to be proud of. Rather than lament Adam Beach’s less-than-perfect Navajo accent, let’s lighten up and focus on the fact that he embodied many of the qualities that we as Navajos pride ourselves on.

Both Beach and Roger Willie portrayed our young men as strong in mind, body and spirit; good natured and generous; hard working and devoted to their families, their traditions, their land and even the U.S. Government, despite a history of unfair treatment by their country.

Let’s focus on the phenomenon that as a result of this movie, our young people have two more terrific Native American professionals as role models. Many of our youth are excited about the interest in our culture that this movie has generated. It was the highlight of some of our children’s summer when Beach and Willie showed enough interest to travel to distant reaches of the reservation to premiere the movie. I imagine the criticism by some adults has left some of our youth feeling perplexed.

I don’t believe that there is only one way to tell the Navajo Code Talkers’ story, or that it can only be told by a certain segment of society. This amazing story needs to be told from a variety of genres. Director John Woo created an action-packed drama, told from the outside looking in. Why the controversy?

There are also documentaries about the Code Talkers. These have generated little debate, perhaps because they have not received the amount of publicity that “Windtalkers” has. Besides, how many times have you turned to your best friend on a Saturday night and said, “Hey, let’s go watch a historically accurate documentary!” When people are looking for entertainment, they don’t want a history lesson. They want drama and excitement. That’s precisely what “Windtalkers” delivered.

However, the movie did far more than simply entertain. Director Woo showed great understanding of, and sensitivity to, Navajo culture and spirituality in the way he depicted our philosophy of harmony and balance in nature, contrasted with the insanity and inhumanity of war. It is our tradition to love our fellow man and lead a productive life. We were not put on this earth to take a human life, but sometimes war is necessary to protect your homeland and family.

The movie clearly depicted the inner conflict and struggles experienced by the naïve, gentle Ben Yahzee and the wisdom and understanding of Charlie Whitehorse as he conducted the ceremonies to protect Ben and strengthen his spirit.

In contrast, the war-weary Joe Enders represented the imbalance caused by the devastating effects of war. Ben’s efforts in sharing his friendship and culture with his friend helped to restore some balance to Joe’s life. That was a wonderful message Woo shared with the world about our culture. I believe it is more productive to focus on these larger, more important messages within the film.

There has been a lot of criticism about the story focusing on Nicolas Cage’s role in the film. You may recall that Sherman Alexie recently made history by writing and producing Smoke Signals. My family thought Smoke Signals was terrific and watched it numerous times, in the theater and at home on video.

But even as well done as it was, how many non-Indians saw it? It is simply an economic reality that you need a story that focuses on a marketable star in order to generate widespread interest and sell tickets. I am thrilled that as a result of “Windtalkers,” and Nicolas Cage’s role in it, millions of Americans are now aware of the contributions that our People made to the war effort.

It is exciting to see how “Windtalkers” affected people around me. When Ben Yahzee proclaimed, “I am Bitterwater Clan, born for the Towering House People,” a Navajo boy, about 14 years of age, leapt from his seat, both fists thrust high in the air. Evidently he was bursting with pride at the mere inclusion of his clan’s name in the movie.

As we left the Phoenix theater, people of all races smiled and nodded their acknowledgement to my family. An Anglo in his late teens approached me, saying, “I have so much respect for you and your People.” I extended my hand and to my utter surprise he threw his arms around me and gave me a big bear hug.

A similar thing happened to my father, who served in World War II. A middle-aged Anglo woman grasped his hand, repeating over and over, “thank you so much for what you did.”

Non-Indian friends, some of whom I haven’t heard from in years, have called to express their excitement over the film. My children’s non-Navajo friends ask, “Are you related to Ben Yahzee?” their voices resonant with admiration. I’d bet that these are not isolated occurrences and that many of you, too, have had similar experiences. For Indians and non-Indians alike to be so touched emotionally to this degree speaks to the success of the movie.

Not everything can be measured in terms of dollars and cents.

We should celebrate the fact that a positive story in any form is being presented about our People. Especially in a time when the biggest news story in this state is that a Native American was arrested for starting the largest fire in Arizona history.

Perhaps “Windtalkers” isn’t everything we would like it to be. What in life is? However, my father and I, both veterans, found this movie to be a self-actualizing and spiritual experience that brought tears of pride at the portrayal of how the miraculous use of our language, by our relatives, saved the lives of thousands of soldiers. Maybe the story wasn’t told just exactly how I, my father, or you readers would have told it. But I’d wager that if we all sat down to discuss just how that story should be told, there would be many different opinions. And that is precisely what makes life so interesting.

My advice is, if you don’t like the way the story is told, write a screenplay, ask some of the Indian casinos to finance it, cast it with Navajo-speakers and have at it! I can’t wait to see it!

My family and I appreciate the efforts of John Woo, for investing his time and talent into researching and making this film—especially for his respect for the Navajo Code Talkers and for our culture. We appreciate the efforts of Adam Beach and Roger Willie, who represent all Native Peoples in a way that makes us stand just a little taller and hold our heads just a little higher. We thank Nicolas Cage and Christian Slater for their open hearts and minds and for lending their talents to the telling of this story.

In a morning news show interview, Cage commented that this movie revealed to him the prejudice encountered by these brave young men fighting for their country. He remarked that in filming, all of the cast—Italian, Greek, Irish and Native American—got along like brothers and that “if we could all relate to each other in that way, there would be no wars.” Perhaps that should be our focus.

Note: Larry Kee Yazzie is Bitterwater, born for the Manygoats Clan. He is an attorney, a 1978 graduate of J. Reuben Clark Law School of Brigham Young University and a former 1st Lieutenant, U.S. Army (Infantry).

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