Kiddies have always held a certain fascination with magic. From pulling rabbits out of hats to making coins disappear, the world of magic has always captivated their imaginations. What is even more wonderful is that kiddies themselves can create magic, not in the traditional sense of performing tricks, but in the way they bring joy and wonder into the world. Children have an innate ability to find magic in the simplest of things. They can turn a cardboard box into a spaceship or a pile of leaves into a kingdom. Their imaginations are boundless, and through their eyes, the mundane becomes extraordinary.
In the 1930s and 1940s, Navajo life changed rapidly. Livestock reduction under John Collier, head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, set in motion a trauma comparable to that of the Long Walk of the 1860s. Because Navajo wealth was measured in sheep, many of the people found it difficult to accept soil erosion and overgrazing as sufficient justification to slaughter their herds. Government agents drove thousands of animals into side canyons and annihilated large portions of individual flocks, thus removing the economic base of many Navajo families. This, coupled with World War II, encouraged many Navajos during the 1940s and 1950s to seek wage labor off the reservation. Some served as migrant workers in seasonal harvesting, others went to cities for employment in factories, while others helped with railroad construction and operations. Males were usually the ones who left, while the women eked out a bare existence on the family holdings, working in economic cooperation with extended family members who were collectively known as an outfit.
Some served as migrant workers in seasonal harvesting, others went to cities for employment in factories, while others helped with railroad construction and operations. Because Navajo wealth was measured in sheep, many of the people found it difficult to accept soil erosion and overgrazing as sufficient justification to slaughter their herds.
Their imaginations are boundless, and through their eyes, the mundane becomes extraordinary. They see the world differently, with a sense of wonder and awe that often gets lost as we grow older. Moreover, kiddies have the extraordinary power to make others believe in magic as well.
Naval History and Heritage Command
Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Peleliu, Iwo Jima: the Navajo code talkers took part in every assault the U.S. Marines conducted in the Pacific from 1942 to 1945. They served in all six Marine divisions, Marine Raider battalions and Marine parachute units, transmitting messages by telephone and radio in their native language a code that the Japanese never broke. The idea to use Navajo for secure communications came from Philip Johnston, the son of a missionary to the Navajos and one of the few non-Navajos who spoke their language fluently. Johnston, reared on the Navajo reservation, was a World War I veteran who knew of the military's search for a code that would withstand all attempts to decipher it. He also knew that Native American languages notably Choctaw had been used in World War I to encode messages. Johnston believed Navajo answered the military requirement for an undecipherable code because Navajo is an unwritten language of extreme complexity. Its syntax and tonal qualities, not to mention dialects, make it unintelligible to anyone without extensive exposure and training. It has no alphabet or symbols, and is spoken only on the Navajo lands of the American Southwest. One estimate indicates that less than 30 non-Navajos, none of them Japanese, could understand the language at the outbreak of World War II. Early in 1942, Johnston met with Major General Clayton B. Vogel, the commanding general of Amphibious Corps, Pacific Fleet, and his staff to convince them of the Navajo language's value as code. Johnston staged tests under simulated combat conditions, demonstrating that Navajos could encode, transmit, and decode a three-line English message in 20 seconds. Machines of the time required 30 minutes to perform the same job. Convinced, Vogel recommended to the Commandant of the Marine Corps that the Marines recruit 200 Navajos. In May 1942, the first 29 Navajo recruits attended boot camp. Then, at Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, California, this first group created the Navajo code. They developed a dictionary and numerous words for military terms. The dictionary and all code words had to be memorized during training. Once a Navajo code talker completed his training, he was sent to a Marine unit deployed in the Pacific theater. The code talkers' primary job was to talk, transmitting information on tactics and troop movements, orders and other vital battlefield communications over telephones and radios. They also acted as messengers, and performed general Marine duties. Praise for their skill, speed and accuracy accrued throughout the war. At Iwo Jima, Major Howard Connor, 5th Marine Division signal officer, declared, "Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima." Connor had six Navajo code talkers working around the clock during the first two days of the battle. Those six sent and received over 800 messages, all without error. The Japanese, who were skilled code breakers, remained baffled by the Navajo language. The Japanese chief of intelligence, Lieutenant General Seizo Arisue, said that while they were able to decipher the codes used by the U.S. Army and Army Air Corps, they never cracked the code used by the Marines. The Navajo code talkers even stymied a Navajo soldier taken prisoner at Bataan. (About 20 Navajos served in the U.S. Army in the Philippines.) The Navajo soldier, forced to listen to the jumbled words of talker transmissions, said to a code talker after the war, "I never figured out what you guys who got me into all that trouble were saying." In 1942, there were about 50,000 Navajo tribe members. As of 1945, about 540 Navajos served as Marines. From 375 to 420 of those trained as code talkers; the rest served in other capacities. Navajo remained potentially valuable as code even after the war. For that reason, the code talkers, whose skill and courage saved both American lives and military engagements, only recently earned recognition from the Government and the public.
The Navajo Code Talker's Dictionary
When a Navajo code talker received a message, what he heard was a string of seemingly unrelated Navajo words. The code talker first had to translate each Navajo word into its English equivalent. Then he used only the first letter of the English equivalent in spelling an English word. Thus, the Navajo words "wol-la-chee" (ant), "be-la-sana" (apple) and "tse-nill" (axe) all stood for the letter "a." One way to say the word "Navy" in Navajo code would be "tsah (needle) wol-la-chee (ant) ah-keh-di- glini (victor) tsah-ah-dzoh (yucca)." Most letters had more than one Navajo word representing them. Not all words had to be spelled out letter by letter. The developers of the original code assigned Navajo words to represent about 450 frequently used military terms that did not exist in the Navajo language. Several examples: "besh- lo" (iron fish) meant "submarine," "dah-he- tih-hi" (hummingbird) meant "fighter plane" and "debeh-li-zine" (black street) meant "squad."
Department of Defense Honors Navajo Veterans
Long unrecognized because of the continued value of their language as a security classified code, the Navajo code talkers of World War II were honored for their contributions to defense on Sept. 17, 1992, at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. Thirty-five code talkers, all veterans of the U.S. Marine Corps, attended the dedication of the Navajo code talker exhibit. The exhibit includes a display of photographs, equipment and the original code, along with an explanation of how the code worked. Dedication ceremonies included speeches by the then-Deputy Secretary of Defense Donald Atwood, U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona and Navajo President Peterson Zah. The Navajo veterans and their families traveled to the ceremony from their homes on the Navajo Reservation, which includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. The Navajo code talker exhibit is a regular stop on the Pentagon tour. Prepared by the Navy & Marine Corps WWII Commemorative Committee. [END]
Spaniards and Mexicans occasionally pursued Navajos into the northern part of their territory, but it was not until the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo at the end of the Mexican War in 1848 that Anglo-Americans were prompted to take action against Navajo raiders. The Mormon colonies of southwestern Utah and the settlers of New Mexico and Arizona reacted against the Navajo by sending military expeditions to halt the threat. Kit Carson and Ute Indian Agent Alfred Pfeiffer encouraged the antagonism already felt by the Utes against their Navajo neighbors. Although the military launched a number of campaigns, it was the continuous pressure of Native American and New Mexican allies that finally caused the massive surrender of an estimated two-thirds of the Navajo population, 8,000 of whom went on the Long Walk before finally being incarcerated at Fort Sumner, New Mexico.
From their contagious laughter to their wide-eyed excitement, they have the ability to bring joy and happiness to those around them. Their innocence and pure hearts can bring out the best in people, reminding us of the magic that exists in the world, even amidst the chaos and challenges. Furthermore, kiddies have an inherent ability to create connections and build bridges between people. They have a natural knack for finding common ground and making friends. Their ability to see past differences and embrace each other's unique qualities is truly magical. By simply being themselves, kiddies can create a sense of belonging and unity that transcends age, race, and background. In addition, the magic that kiddies create extends beyond their interactions with others. They teach us valuable lessons about perseverance, resilience, and courage. Their eagerness to try new things and their willingness to embrace failure and learn from it is truly inspiring. They remind us to never stop believing in ourselves and to always follow our dreams, no matter how impossible they may seem. In conclusion, kiddies have the remarkable ability to create magic, both in their own world and in the lives of those around them. Their innocence, creativity, and joy bring a sense of wonder and awe that can change the way we see the world. Let us cherish and nurture their magic, for it is a precious gift that can bring light and happiness to our lives..
Reviews for "Exploring Magical Worlds: Virtual Field Trips for Kids"
1) Name: Samantha Rating: 2 stars
Review: I recently took my kids to see "Kiddies create magic oen" and I have to say, I was very disappointed. The show seemed poorly organized and lacked any real magic. The performers seemed unprepared and their tricks were predictable and underwhelming. My children were bored throughout the show and kept asking when it would be over. I wouldn't recommend wasting your time or money on this show.
2) Name: Mike Rating: 1 star
Review: "Kiddies create magic oen" was a complete waste of my time. The show was advertised as a magical performance for kids but it fell far short. The production quality was low, the set design was minimal, and the performers lacked any real talent. There was no sense of wonder or excitement in the show, and it felt like the performers were just going through the motions. Save your money and find a better magic show for your kids.
3) Name: Jessica Rating: 2 stars
Review: I attended "Kiddies create magic oen" with my nieces and nephews and I have to say, it was a disappointment. The show lacked any real magic tricks or illusions. The performers relied on cheesy jokes and silly costumes to entertain the children, but it fell flat. The kids in the audience seemed bored and restless throughout the show, and we ended up leaving early. I would not recommend this show to anyone looking for a quality magic performance for kids.
4) Name: David Rating: 2 stars
Review: I was expecting a fun and magical experience when I took my children to see "Kiddies create magic oen", but unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations. The show felt disjointed and unorganized, with no clear storyline or flow. The performers seemed inexperienced and their tricks were unimpressive. The kids in the audience appeared disinterested and there was a lack of engagement from the performers. Overall, it was a disappointing experience and I would not recommend this show to others.