Star Wars: A New Hope was translated into Navajo and premiered in Window Rock, Arizona on July 3, 2013. The project was led by Manny Wheeler and utilized the talents of seven main voice actors and 20 supporting voice actors. Translating popular culture works into Navajo helps preserve the language for future generations. Finding Nemo became the second Navajo-dubbed film in 2016. Other Native American languages have also been used to translate popular culture works, such as Bambi in Arapaho and The Berenstain Bears in Dakota/Lakota.
On July 3, 2013, the 1977 Star Wars film was introduced to a new audience. Or perhaps more accurately, an old audience has gained a new appreciation of both film and their own culture. On that date, a new version of Star Wars: A New Hope premiered in Window Rock, Arizona, the capital of the Navajo Nation. It was projected onto a huge screen on the side of a ten-wheeler truck. The project was the culmination of the efforts of Manny Wheeler, head of the Navajo Nation Museum and a longtime Star Wars fan. With Lucasfilm’s blessing, five people worked to translate the film’s script into Navajo, with the added challenge of trying to match the words to the lip movements of the characters onscreen. This was especially difficult when several Navajo words were needed to translate one English word. Though over 160 people auditioned, the project ultimately utilized the talents of seven main voice actors and 20 supporting voice actors. Navajo, or Diné bizaad, is the most widely spoken Native American language north of the Mexico-US border, with an estimated 170,000 people speaking it at home. Significant educational efforts have helped keep the language alive, and translating works of popular culture into Navajo will no doubt help preserve it for generations to come.
Bringing a galaxy far, far away to the Navajo Nation:
The entire film has been translated into Navajo; several dialects have been presented. Portions of the film where the characters speak alien languages are subtitled in Navajo.
The story doesn’t end there. In 2016, Finding Nemo became the second Navajo-dubbed film, and it seems likely that more will follow.
In the 1990s, Indian schools in Wyoming translated Disney’s animated classic Bambi into Arapaho. And in 2010, episodes of the cartoon series The Berenstain Bears were translated into the Dakota/Lakota language.
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