The Loose Cannon – Indian Givers and Code Talkers
Ever thought much about that phrase “Indian Giver?” Me neither.
“Indian Giver” was a fairly common school yard insult or taunt when I was in grade school. Maybe it’s close to being forgotten by now, and some of my younger readers may be seeing it for the first time. After my last column about Susan the Apache – Part 1, I had a brief, but rich conversation with one of my neighbors.
He brought up that phrase “Indian Giver” and said that if anybody was guilty of what that implies, it was the U.S. government. He mentioned how the Indians would be allocated land in one area but then reallocated to a less desirable area (like Arizona — sorry Arizona) to the benefit of Uncle Sam (not their Uncle Sam). I did study the background of that phrase a bit, and it appears it somewhat originated from a cultural difference.
From Wikipedia: “‘Indian giver’ is a racial slur used to describe a person who gives a ‘gift’ and later wants it back or who expects something of equivalent worth in return for the item. It is based on cultural misunderstandings that took place between the early European colonists and the Indigenous people of North America with whom they traded. Often, the Europeans viewed an exchange of items as gifts and believed that they owed nothing in return to the Indigenous people. On the other hand, the Indigenous people saw the exchange as a form of trade or equal exchange and so they had differing expectations of their guests. The phrase is used to describe a negative act or shady business dealings.”
So then that same neighbor, in that same conversation, brought up the poor treatment of the Navajo Code Talkers. I already knew a little about them, but what a delight it was for me to have written something that would inspire a conversation like this!
Also from Wikipedia: “A code talker was a person employed by the military during wartime to use a little-known language as a means of secret communication. The term is most often used for United States service members during the World Wars who used their knowledge of Native American languages as a basis to transmit coded messages. In particular, there were approximately 400 to 500 Native Americans in the United States Marine Corps whose primary job was to transmit secret tactical messages. Code talkers transmitted messages over military telephone or radio communications nets using formally or informally developed codes built upon their indigenous languages. The code talkers improved the speed of encryption and decryption of communications in front line operations during World War II and are credited with some decisive victories. Their code was never broken.”
Did you notice that? World Wars plural? That caught my attention and sent me on another search. What I didn’t know and found out was that Choctaw Code Talkers (and others) were used in World War I, too, which lasted from June 28, 1914, to November 11, 1918.
From the United States Army National Museum: “The Native Code Talkers of World War I used their languages to aid the war effort at a time when there was also a push to strip away Native cultural identities and languages.
“…The [Native American] boarding schools stripped students of all things that could connect them to their Native lives. One of their biggest targets for eradication was Native language. Schools gave all students English names and forced them to speak only English. At some of the schools, students heard speaking their Native languages received physical punishments. Boarding schools limited student contact with their family and other tribal members, if they allowed contact at all. Isolation from their family and tribes was believed to help assimilate Native students into American culture. Boarding schools also restricted Native religious practices. The schools often operated in a militaristic style complete with short haircuts, uniforms, and unit organizations. Many of the Army’s Code Talkers attended these boarding schools and recalled the schools punishing them for speaking their languages. Some later said that the military feel of the schools helped smooth their transition into military life.
“… The experiences of the Code Talkers are remarkable, in part due to the discrimination that Native Americans faced before, during, and after the war. “
Before. During. After.
Yes, after too, but only the ones that made it home alive. Thirteen Code Talkers did not.
One Native American WW II Code Talker said he joined the U.S. Marine Corps to defend “his” country. Think about that for a minute.
There is never ending irony, sadness and humiliation in the history of the U.S. government’s treatment of Native Americans.
And this is what I mean by never ending:
From Axios Salt Lake City Mar 17, 2025: “After Trump DEI order, Navajo Code Talkers disappear from military websites” –
“Axios Salt Lake City — Articles about the renowned Native American Code Talkers have disappeared from some military websites, with several broken URLs now labeled “DEI.”
“Why it matters: From 1942 to 1945, the Navajo Code Talkers were instrumental in every major Marine Corps operation in the Pacific Theater of World War II.
“They were critical to securing America’s victory at Iwo Jima.
“Driving the news: Axios identified at least 10 articles mentioning the Code Talkers that had disappeared from the U.S. Army and Department of Defense websites as of Monday.
“… They likely saved countless American and Allied lives by using languages the U.S. government had tried for generations to eliminate.
“… Caveat: As of Monday, the U.S. Marines — the branch that deployed the Navajo Code Talkers — had not removed its pages about them.
“… Stunning stat: Indigenous Americans have enlisted in the U.S. military at a rate five times the national average, per Trump’s own proclamation in 2018.
“That proclamation has also been removed.”
History is being rewritten right in front of us with little consideration for the truth.
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