On November 20, 2013, in Emancipation Hall at the U.S. Capitol, 33 tribes were recognized for the dedication and valor of Native American code talkers to the U.S. Armed Services during World Wars I and II. Of the tribes recognized, 25 were presented with their Congressional Gold Medals.
The Code Talkers Recognition Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-420) requires the Secretary of the Treasury to strike Congressional Medals in recognition of the dedication and valor of Native American code talkers to the U.S. Armed Services during World War I and World War II. “Code talkers” refers to those Native Americans who used their tribal languages as a means of secret communication during wartime.
Under the Act, unique gold medals are struck for each Native American tribe that had a member who served as a code talker. Silver duplicate medals are presented to the specific code talkers, their next of kin, or other personal representatives. In addition, bronze duplicates are available for sale to the public.
The Navajo Nation was awarded Congressional Gold Medals in 2001 under Public Law 106-554.
The Code Talkers Congressional Medals
- Cherokee Nation
- Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe
- Choctaw Nation
- Comanche Nation
- Crow Creek Sioux Tribe
- Crow Nation
- Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribe
- Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes
- Ho-Chunk Nation
- Hopi Tribe
- Kiowa Tribe
- Menominee Nation
- Meskwaki Nation
- Muscogee (Creek) Nation
- Oglala Sioux Tribe
- Oneida Nation
- Osage Nation
- Pawnee Nation
- Ponca Tribe
- Pueblo of Acoma Tribe
- Pueblo of Laguna Tribe
- Rosebud Sioux Tribe
- Santee Sioux Nation
- Seminole Nation
- Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate (Sioux) Tribe
- St. Regis Mohawk Tribe
- Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
- Tlingit Tribe
- Tonto Apache Tribe
- White Mountain Apache Tribe
- Yankton Sioux Tribe
Two additional tribes are eligible and will receive their Congressional Gold Medals at a future date. They are:
- Lower Brule Sioux Tribe
- Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes