Cherokee Nation and the U.S. Department of the Interior are partnering to utilize film and media to help preserve and advance Native languages. The largest tribal nation in the United States is dedicating resources and its industry- leading technology to help federal entities pursue a National Plan on Native Language Revitalization.

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. recently signed a memorandum of understanding establishing a formal partnership between the tribe, Cherokee Film and several federal entities, including the Interior Department, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the National Fund for Excellence in American Indian Education. The Interior Department intends for the 10-year plan to expand immersion language projects, boost community efforts and develop support networks.

“The Cherokee Nation and its people recognize the importance of preserving and celebrating our heritage and the significant need to do so by creating new generations of Cherokee speakers who can perpetuate and teach others our beautiful language,” said Chief Hoskin. “It is with that understanding that we have invested historic sums while tasking our tribal departments and businesses to pursue an unparalleled approach to tackling the monumental task of keeping the Cherokee language alive. I am proud that through those investments, such as our film studios, we can also now be a resource for tribes around the country to capture and share their language, culture, experiences, aspirations and much more.”

Throughout the next decade, Cherokee Film will provide NFEAIE with expert consultation and insights while leveraging Cherokee Nation’s experience, infrastructure and networks to assist fellow tribes in dubbing TV and film programming in Native languages. Cherokee Nation will also empower other tribes to pursue language revitalization initiatives through the use of its state-of-the-art Cherokee Film Studios.

In addition to offering its support to other tribes, Cherokee Nation and its businesses continue working together to make more film and television content available in Cherokee. The Cherokee Nation Language Department and Cherokee Film recently helped spearhead the tribe’s first efforts to bring the Cherokee language to mainstream content on a worldwide scale, including partnering with Prime Video to dub original programming in the Cherokee language.

The mission of Cherokee Film, which is owned and operated by Cherokee Nation Businesses, is to reclaim Cherokee and Native narratives by increasing representation across film and media while creating an ecosystem that supports production and drives economic activity in the Cherokee Nation.

The National Fund for Excellence in American Indian Education (also referred to as “The Fund”) is a congressionally chartered organization dedicated to leveraging resources to improve educational opportunities for students attending Bureau of Indian Education schools across the United States. The Fund aims to support community- led efforts that foster students’ Native language and culture, leading to academic and life success.