Luke Skywalker Goes Navajo: ‘Star Wars’ Gets a New Translation

In the new translation of “Star Wars,” Darth Vader is Luke’s bizhe’e. The classic 1977 film that launched a science fiction empire and revealed the force within a farm boy who battles evil has been dubbed in Japanese, French, Spanish and about a dozen other languages. Add Navajo to the list.

Manuelito Wheeler, the director of the Navajo Nation Museum who reached out to Lucasfilm Ltd. with the idea, has a very good feeling about this. He sees it as entertaining, educational and a way to preserve the Navajo language at a time when fewer tribal members are speaking it.

“That’s the beauty of what we’re doing; we’re teaching Navajo language to anybody who wants to learn the Navajo language,” Wheeler said. “I find that very rewarding and somewhat ironic. We went from a country that wanted to limit our language, to the Navajo language saving our country through Code Talkers, to our language being part of a major motion picture.”

You might be an Navajo Jedi if... (I added translations to some of these terms so you can get the joke)

You ever heard the phrase, “May the Force be with you...aayyy!”

Your Jedi robe is beaded.

Your Jedi robe is made out of pendleton.

You have ever used your lightsaber to butcher a sheep or open a Budweiser.

At least one wing of your X-Wing fighter is primer-colored.

You discover that Ewoks taste like mutton.

You have ever had a landspeeder up on blocks in your yard.

The worst part of spending time with Yoda is eating his commodity food.

Wookies are offended by your use of buffalo robes.

You have ever used the Force to get your tape recorder working so you could record that new Navajo Sundowners album.

You have ever used the Force in negotiations with the BIA.

Your councilman has ever said to you, “Dark side . . . BIA, same thing!”

You have ever had your R2-D2 unit use its self-defense electroshock thingy to give yourself a perm.

You have a dreamcatcher in the window of your land-speeder.

You have ever fantasized about Princess Leah’s frybread.

You have to use pliers to work the doors of your X-Wing and a screwdriver to start it up.

Your lightsaber has duct tape on the handle.

You think “Obi Wan Kenobi” is a Hopi person.

Although you had to kill him, you kinda thought that Jabba the Hutt had a pretty good handle on how to deal with people who stole from him.

You have a cousin who bears a strong resemblance to Commander Chokotay (oh, wait-that’s “Star Trek: Voyager,” never mind).

You suggested that they outfit the Millenium Falcon with a trailer hitch for your horse trailer.

You could single out the only person drinking T-Bird during the Mos Eisley cantina scene.

You were at the Mos Eisley cantina to do some snagging (chasing women).

You have heard the words, “Luke, I am your father...and your councilman!”

After finally learning the ways and power of the Force, after years of grueling study and contemplative meditation, the first thing you uttered was, “Aaayyy!”

You knew Lando Calirissian was a sell-out because he resembled the buffalo soldiers cheii( grandpa) talked about.

You refer to the Emperor as chiidee ( evil spirit).

You point to the Emperor and tell little kids “Eeeyah!” (warning- scary person)

Your pretty sure the Jedi Academy is somewhere in Tsaile Arizona.

The first time you saw Ewoks, you thought someone let grandma’s sheep play in the mud.

You used your lightsaber to cut plywood for a new outhouse.

You ever used the Force to help you win at the casinos.

You ever went to Jabba the Hutt to pawn your lightsaber.

You ever had to use a lightsaber and a sheep to keep from freezing.

Whenever you go to the Indian hospital, they always mispronounce your name and say, “Luke Skinwalker!!

You think Chewbacca’s nickname should be “Pubby”.

The first time you met Chewbacca, you thought he was a skinwalker.

C3PO reminds you of being “somehow, around the guys.” (iow gay)

You’re pretty sure Jawas talk Hopi. And their short too!

You think Boba Fett’s clothes reminds you of your break dancing days.

You know Jabba the Hutt lives somewhere north of Tuba City Arizona, by Castle Rock somewhere.

You’ve ever hit a sheep with your landspeeder.

You think Princess Leia’s hairstylists is Hopi.

You remember riding Taun-Tauns as a kid when hearding sheep.
You’re pretty sure stormtroopers are FBI agents who storm casinos.

* All the bootleggers in south Tuba report to Jabba somehow.

* You’ve been busted bootlegging booze in your landspeeder.

You refer to Yoda as shi cheii or shi nali. ( my maternal/ paternal grandfather)

* Yoda sometimes sell herbs and medicines at the flea market.

* Yoda’s house is a hogan.

* You know Yoda does peyote ceremonies on the side to make extra cash.

* The only reason Yoda got your X-Wing out of the swamp was because he needed a ride to the post office to get his monthly check.

* Yoda only shops at Van’s Trading Post and refuses to go to Bashas ( a grocery store chain on the reservation).

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