2008 Medal Akwesasne Mohawk Tribe Code Talkers Bronze 38mm

Coin Details

Description

This 38mm bronze medal honors the Akwesasne Mohawk Tribe Code Talkers, members of the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne who served in the United States military using their native Kanien'keha (Mohawk) language for secure communications. The Akwesasne community, located at the intersection of New York, Ontario, and Quebec along the St. Lawrence River, has a long tradition of military service despite the community's unique position straddling the U.S.-Canadian border. Mohawk code talkers contributed their Iroquoian language to the military communication effort, adding another layer to the diverse linguistic arsenal employed by Native American service members. The obverse features a design developed in consultation with the Akwesasne Mohawk community, incorporating cultural elements specific to the Mohawk Nation and the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy of which it is a member. The Mohawk language, part of the Northern Iroquoian language family, presented unique characteristics that made it valuable for coded communications — its complex polysynthetic structure, in which entire sentences can be expressed as single elaborate words, created utterances that were virtually impenetrable to non-speakers. The reverse carries program inscriptions identifying the Code Talkers recognition program and the specific tribe honored. The Akwesasne Mohawk medal is part of the comprehensive recognition of all tribes that contributed code talkers, ensuring that the lesser-known programs received the same formal acknowledgment as the famous Navajo program.

Rarity Notes

Bronze duplicate medal, 38mm. Code Talkers Recognition Act of 2008 series.

Cross References

PCGS #917700; Code Talkers Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2008; Akwesasne Mohawk Tribe; Kanien'keha language