Ariz. pharmacist provides voice of Luke Skywalker in Navajo-dubbed 'Star Wars'

NEW YORK — You might remember back in January 2011, when DSN profiled Terry Teller, a pharmacist from Lukachukai, Ariz., who uses his Navajo-language skills when working with patients. Now, according to published reports, he can add "Jedi Knight" to his resume.

Teller, a fluent speaker of Navajo who has made a series of videos of himself speaking the language on YouTube and who divides his time as a pharmacist at an Indian Health Services clinic and as a weekend-relief pharmacist at a nearby Walmart pharmacy, will be the voice of Luke Skywalker in the upcoming Navajo-dubbed version of "Star Wars: Episode IV."

The Navajo Times reported that recording for the main roles of the movie took place between May 13 and May 20, and the movie will be screened at the Navajo Nation Museum on July 3.

Navajo, known to speakers as Diné bizaad, is the most commonly spoken Native American language in the United States, with an estimated 170,000 speakers, mostly in Arizona and New Mexico, according to the Census.