WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren thought of language revitalization and the Code Talkers when asked how could the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints help.
LDS Church members traveled to the Office of the President and Vice President on May 29 to follow up on Nygren’s visit to Salt Lake City a few months ago and ask the President what they can do to help.
“You guys have always been good to me,” Nygren said.
One priority Nygren wanted to bring to attention was the possibility of getting started in a museum for Navajo Code Talkers to preserve their history.
Immediately, the church members shared that they could jump in and help the best they could.
“If we can break ground in a year or two, that’d be amazing,” Nygren said. “If we can all work together, that would be even more amazing.”
Along with Navajo Code Talkers, Nygren wanted to see how the church could incorporate the Navajo language, Diné Bizaad, into the church to include the Diné people and its culture.
“One of the things I think about as President is the 574 other tribes,” Nygren said. “They look up to the Navajo Nation, and when a huge percent of our young people don’t speak the language, we have to come up with a way they can, and that would also help the other tribes in revitalizing their language.”
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