Iolan Don Erbert’s crew had finished work on a new Sonic Drive-In in Springfield, Ill. on Thursday. As the winter weather approached, they were eager to return home. But even with a storm in the forecast, Leonard Ahasteen, Calvin Joe and Felix Nelson, all members of the Navajo Nation, had time to catch up a friend.
After all, Erbert, a general contractor who has built fast-food restaurants across the Midwest, has known the men for around a decade. “I’ll be honest with you — when I first saw them, I thought they were Mexicans,” said Erbert with a laugh. “But then I heard them speaking, and I asked Lenny, ‘What language are you guys speaking?’”
So began a business relationship, and a friendship, too. “These guys are hard workers,” said Erbert. “They’re very good framers.” But it’s clear they also genuinely enjoy each other’s company, with Erbert rattling off lessons he’s learned from the Navajo crew over the years.
Ahasteen, Joe and Nelson speak the Navajo language to each other. Known as Diné bizaad, or people’s language, it’s the official language of the Navajo Nation and one of the most widely spoken Native American languages.
Navajo speakers played a key role in WWII, serving the American military as code talkers who transmitted secret, unwritten military messages in the Pacific Theatre. The Japanese never broke the code; experts say Native American code talkers saved countless lives and helped make key military victories like Iwo Jima possible.
Gallup, where Ahasteen, Joe and Nelson live, borders the Navajo Nation reservation, the largest Native reservation in the United States. It’s bigger than 10 states, actually, and one of the few reservations that exists in the footprint of the tribe’s traditional lands.
The three men had been installing fiber concrete siding; their truck’s trailer was full of siding from Nichiha, a Japanese company. Erbert estimates he’s built Sonics in over 12 states.
“I’ve got friends scattered all over the country,” he said. “When we work on these projects, a lot of times we’re there for six months or so. It gives us a chance to really get to know people.”
Erbert was unsure when he’d be giving the men a call. “Work’s been slow,” said Erbert. “It’s been this way since about August or September of last year.
“A lot of people are canceling projects, or they’re remodeling their buildings instead of building new ones,” he explained. “The last time it was this slow was when Trump was in office,” he said with a laugh. “It’s not that I started hearing things,” he clarified. “I started not hearing things.”
IN ALL THE years with Erbert, where was the most beautiful place they’d worked? “Northwest Arkansas,” said Ahasteen. Their favorite food? They all gave the most casual, and perhaps American, of answers. “Mexican,” they said with a smile.
