Code Talker: Chapters 1–5

by Joseph Bruchac
Based on the true story of Navajo code talkers, this novel recounts the exploits of Ned Begay, a sixteen-year-old Navajo soldier in World War II. Ned's language skills prove to be invaluable as the Americans work to send secret messages to help them in their fight.

Here are links to our lists for book: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–12, Chapters 13–17, Chapters 18–23, Chapters 24–29
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. hogan
    a Navajo lodge covered with earth
    I was only six years old and I was worried. I sat behind our hogan, leaning against its familiar walls and looking up toward the mesa.
  2. sacred
    made, declared, or believed to be holy
    But I did not do so, for I had always obeyed my mother — whose love for me was as certain as the firmness of the sacred earth beneath my moccasins.
  3. rasp
    speak in a harsh, grating voice
    “Be strong, Kii Yazhi,” he rasped, his voice as creaky as an old saddle.
  4. elder
    a person of more advanced age
    They had learned all they knew from their own relatives and from wise elders who knew many things, people who lived with us.
  5. clan
    group of people related by blood or marriage
    We said hello, spoke our names, told each other our clans and where we were from. As you know, our clan system teaches us how we were born and shows us how to grow. By knowing each other’s clan — the clan of the mother that we were born to, the clan of the father that we were born for — we can recognize our relatives.
  6. forbidden
    excluded from use or mention
    You are forbidden to speak Navajo.
  7. interpreter
    someone who mediates between speakers of different languages
    His job as an interpreter, though, was for one day and one day only.
  8. policy
    a plan of action adopted by an individual or social group
    Thinking back on it, years later, I see now that it was a good policy in one sense.
  9. issue
    circulate or distribute or equip with
    In exchange for my clothing and jewelry, I was issued a military-style uniform made of cloth that was rough and itchy, and a stiff cap that was shoved down onto my head.
    Compare this description to a later one of a Marine uniform: The coat and trousers were made of cloth that was as shining and blue as the sky. The cap and gloves were white as clean new snow. The leather boots were as black and polished as jet.
    The similes show that the narrator prefers the Marine uniform. While the focus is on appearance, his enthusiasm can also be connected to the choice to be one of the proud and few.
  10. drab
    of a light brownish green color
    In our drab uniforms, the only difference between us boys was our size.
    The adjective drab also means "lacking brightness or color; dull" and "lacking in liveliness or charm or surprise." All the meanings fit to contrast with the colorful and happier life the narrator knew before coming to the mission school. The example sentence also puns on "uniform"—as an adjective, it means "always the same."
  11. translation
    rendering in another language with the same meaning
    That translation would help decide each student’s new last name in English.
  12. tradition
    a specific practice of long standing
    TRADITION IS THE ENEMY OF PROGRESS
    That was written in large letters on the big wooden sign in front of the mission school.
    Both the narrator and author (this is a fictional memoir, so the two are not the same) do not agree with the mission school's sign. The narrator makes this clear through his determination to keep his Navajo language and culture. The author makes this clear by having his narrator describe Navajo traditions that are "deeply spiritual and poetic." Of American Indian heritage too, the author highlights the role of native tribes in the past and future of America.
  13. dormitory
    a large sleeping room containing several beds
    He and another bigger boy I hadn’t yet met whose bunk was close to mine, had to help me get back to the dormitory because I could not walk without falling.
  14. defiant
    boldly resisting authority or an opposing force
    However, some of the children were not just forgetful about using our language, they were openly defiant.
    Ironically, when the Navajos were defeated in 1863, the government herded them together at Fort Defiance to start the Long Walk. If the Navajo narrator had also been openly defiant, he would not have wanted to fight for the country that had exiled his ancestors and treated them so cruelly.
  15. determined
    characterized by great firmness of purpose
    If anything, rather than taking my language away from me, boarding school made me more determined never to forget it.
Created on Wed Dec 09 13:15:42 EST 2015 (updated Tue Jun 17 15:43:42 EDT 2025)

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