The Navajo Code Talkers of World War II” exhibit at Branigan Cultural Center, Las Cruces

“OUR FATHERS, OUR GRANDFATHERS, OUR HEROES… The Navajo Code Talkers of World War II” exhibit at Branigan Cultural Center, Las Cruces

Exhibit Dates: Jan 4 – 26, 2008

Friday, Jan 4: Opening Reception: 5 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 5: Lecture 10 a.m. by Zonnie Gorman “Growing Up With Heroes…The Navajo Code Talkers of World War II; A Daughter's Journey”

Saturday, Jan 19: Screening of documentary 10 a.m. True Whispers: The Story of the Navajo Code Talkers.

The largest, most comprehensive exhibition on the Navajo Code Talkers of World War II will be on display at the Branigan Cultural Center from January 4 - 26, 2008. Of all the untold stories from World War II that have recently come to light, none is more important nor more ironic than that of the Code Talkers -- some 400 Navajo youths, many hardly more than boys who were recruited by the U.S. government to devise an unbreakable code in the language they had been previously forbidden to speak.

An opening reception for the exhibition will be held on Friday, Jan 4 from 5 – 7 pm. Special guest Zonnie Gorman, daughter of Navajo Code Talker the late Dr. Carl Gorman, and youngest sister of renowned Navajo artist, the late R.C. Gorman, will be welcomed at the reception. On Saturday, Jan 5, Ms. Gorman will present a lecture entitled “Growing Up with Heroes...The Navajo Code Talkers of World War II, A Daughter's Journey,” at 10 a.m. at Branigan Cultural Center, Shannon Gallery.

The exhibit traces the story of the famed United States Marine Corps Navajo Code Talkers. A group of 29 volunteers developed and tested the original Navajo code in 1942. Proven fast and accurate, the Marine Corps recruited nearly 400 more Navajos who utilized the code, sending and receiving encrypted messages throughout the Pacific campaign. The ingenuity of the Navajo Code Talkers baffled Japanese cryptographers and contributed significantly in the effort to win the war in the Pacific.

This exhibit is a tribute to these men. Originally done as an oral history project by Wingate High School students in Gallup, NM, the exhibit speaks volumes of the pride young Navajos have for their heroes. The traveling exhibit displays more than 33 historic photographs with text; facsimiles of original, military WW II documents; a 1940 map of the Navajo Reservation; and the (now de-classified) Navajo Code itself. In addition, the full-length documentary, “Navajo Code Talkers” by the Arts & Entertainment/History Channel will be running throughout open gallery hours.“Our Fathers, Our Grandfathers, Our Heroes…The Navajo Code Talker of World War II” is made possible with grants from the New Mexico Humanities Council, and PNM, and APS corporations. This traveling exhibition is produced and circulated by the Circle of Light Navajo Educational Project, Gallup, NM.

On Saturday, Jan 19, the Branigan Cultural Center will screen the recently released PBS documentary, True Whispers: The Story of the Navajo Code Talkers, at 10 a.m. The thought-provoking documentary explores the complex story of the Code Talkers from the Navajo point of view and reveals the pivotal role they played in helping the U.S. forces win the Pacific Theater during World War II.

The Branigan Cultural Center is located at the north end of the downtown mall. Parking is accessible from the intersection of Water and Hadley streets. There is no charge, and the Cultural Center is open to the public Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Cultural Center is fully accessible for all audiences. For more information about the exhibition, contact the Branigan Cultural Center at 541-2154 or visit the Center’s website at museums.las-cruces.org.