Without Indigenous code talkers in WW II, 'we would be speaking German'

Mohawk code talkers and their missions were so vital during the Second World War, that some believe without them, there was no way of winning of the war.  

"Let's put it this way, we would be speaking German or some other language if it weren't for the Native code talkers," said Mike Cook, commander of the American Legion Post 1479 of Akwesasne, N.Y.

Despite their importance, it was not until 2008, when the Code Talkers Recognition Act in the U.S. was passed, that Indigenous people's contributions to the war effort were officially acknowledged. 

Cook, who has been retired from the Army reserve for 22 years, has worked with Veterans Affairs for years hosting clinics about benefits and healthcare, off and on-reserve on both sides of Akwesasne's border.

Code talkers were often used as scouts — even though many were just teenagers, he said.

Usually in pairs, the scouts served on the forward lines. They would go out into the field being as inconspicuous as possible to get information.

"You tell them just how many people, what kind of insignia is on the shirt. Let them know what kind of outfit they're up against…how large a group, what kind of weapons they're using," Cook said.

Coded Kanien'kéha messages transmitted these details to another Mohawk code talker via radio who would then share that information with his division. The soldiers created their own code — the Kanien'kéha word for eagle (á:kweks) could represent the word for gun (káhonre), for example — which would be translated to English.

He said this intelligence would be used to determine the rank and experience of the enemy to help strategize.

Cook was on the committee to establish a monument dedicated to all of Akwesasne's code talkers back in 2018.

"We really have nothing for the veterans like this with all the names," he said, adding that the veterans cemetery is the only exception.

His efforts to research and honour his community's Mohawk code talkers was not an easy task. Many of the men who served were sworn to secrecy by the American government, he said, and they never spoke about their clandestine missions overseas due to fears of repercussions.

"The code talkers we never knew we had …You're told you're under oath. You don't tell nobody," Cook said.

It wasn't until the Veterans' Oral History Project Act was passed in the U.S. in 2000, that veterans from his community seemed to feel secure enough to share the details of their missions, he said.