Foes become friends through photography

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Today is Wednesday, August 2nd.

You’re listening to WORLD Radio and we thank you for that!

Good morning. I’m Mary Reichard.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It: a surprising friendship.

In 1982, President Ronald Reagan declared August 14th as National Navajo Code Talkers Day. It’s to recognize tribes for their contributions during World War II.

That was about the same time a young Japanese photographer took on an unlikely project.

REICHARD: That’s right, he photographed Japan’s former enemies. And healed some wounds in the process. WORLD Senior Writer Kim Henderson brings us this report.

KIM HENDERSON, SENIOR WRITER: Kenji Kawano has been photographing the Navajo for decades. In 1987, he started making portraits of the aging Navajo code talkers.

The code talkers are famous for using their native language to provide an unbreakable code for the military during World War 2. They were U. S. Marines, and they were very successful in the Pacific Theater.

Still, photographing the Navajo code talkers was an unusual project for Kawano.

KAWANO: Back in World War Two, they did something magnificent for this country. And I just happen to be Japanese, former enemy, my father went to World War Two. But I respect all these Navajo soldiers.

It’s late afternoon at the Navajo Nation Museum in Window Rock, Arizona. Kawano, a white haired 74-year-old, is in his element. He’s talking about his code talker photos—nearly a hundred of them—hanging in an exhibit hall. They’re striking black-and-white portraits.

Kawano points to one.

KAWANO: He lives in Farmington, New Mexico. After discharge, he became a teacher, and he became a high school principal. So they told me about a story during World War Two. And those stories are my treasure.

In the portraits, each code talker is shown in a personal setting. Sometimes he’s on his couch holding war memorabilia. In some he’s in the desert wearing a uniform. One is standing in front of a church.

KAWANO: Chaplain? KH[: Chaplain?] Yeah, he was a chaplain. . . .

Kawano remembers it was very windy that day. He got the code talker to stand in front of a waving flag.

KAWANO: It's a nice composition. So I took lots of pictures, and he didn't mind that.

Getting the photos wasn’t always easy, though. The Navajo Nation is the size of West Virginia, and the code talkers were spread out. Some lived in remote areas. One home Kawano visited was an hour away from any paved road.

KAWANO: At this time, only 20 percent of Navajo people had the phone. So I couldn't make appointments on the phone like people who live in a city. So I had to drive 2 to 3 hours…

One day, a reporter called from the state’s largest paper, the Arizona Republic.

KAWANO: They find out I'm taking pictures of code talkers, and the photographer is a Japanese. So they did a story in the paper. Then same day, I received publisher.

Kawano needed a publisher for a book he made of his Navajo code talker photos. It published in 1990. It’s had more than 20 printings. He says the code talkers enjoyed going to book signings.

KAWANO: And they love to sign their book. And people ask, “Where is your picture?” “Oh, my picture is page 20 or 30.” And signing. That makes me so happy.

Besides the book, Kawano’s photo exhibit has traveled to 50 sites in the United States, and it’s been to Japan three times.

When Kawano arrived in the United States in 1973, he planned to stay three months. That was 50 years ago. He ended up marrying a Navajo woman—Bazhniba.

She helped with his project.

BAZHNIBA: After he did the interviews, I did all the text. I translated them from Navajo to English.

The couple built strong relationships with the code talkers. Sadly, most of them are gone now. The families often asked Kawano to come to the funerals.

KAWANO: So I go. Then once I found near casket they have a table, and the picture I took picture them, like this, on display. I like to see a picture of their house on the wall. Or I come museum. But in a funeral—it was hard moment.

He learned to think of it another way.

KAWANO: They really like how I took the picture to remember their father or grandpa. So it is an honor for me, you know. They love my picture.

Bazhniba misses the big reunions and parades. She misses the code talkers.

BAZHNIBA: It's quite shocking now—we only have three left. These men who have contributed so much to not only the Navajo land, but to the United States as a whole.

Kawano says some of the men became like fathers to him. In 1991, Kawano’s real dad flew from Japan to the reservation for a visit. Kawano introduced him to Code Talker Carl Gorman.

KAWANO: He met with Mr. Gorman in Wind Rock. Then Mr. Gorman told me, “Kenji, yes, we had the war with Japan. But the war is between governments, not person to person. So I don't think of you as an enemy...”

Movies have been made about the Navajo code talkers. Other books have been written. But Kawano’s photos do something more. They mesmerize.

KAWANO: Many Americans get to know about the code talkers. I'm very happy. That is my goal.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Kim Henderson in Window Rock, Arizona.

BROWN: To read Kim’s print story on the Navajo code talkers, look for the August 12th issue of WORLD Magazine...or just click on the link in today’s transcript. 

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.