In this episode of “Red Hoop Talk,” host Jennifer Robin welcomes Daniel W. Vandever, a citizen of the Navajo Nation, children’s book author, educator, and creator whose work explores language, education, cultural identity, and community responsibility. Daniel shares how his grandfather, Joe Vandever Sr., a Navajo Code Talker, Marine, and medicine man, shaped his understanding of the power of words and ultimately inspired his path toward writing and education.

Daniel reflects on a powerful contradiction within his own family’s history. During World War II, his grandfather used the Navajo language as a Code Talker, while Daniel’s father was later punished in school for speaking that same language. Their experiences open a larger conversation about boarding schools, assimilation, and the lasting effects of educational systems designed to separ ...