The Cherokee Nation will host its 7th annual Cherokee Speakers Gathering on October 23 in Tahlequah.
Cherokee Nation leaders will gather with speakers to announce several new initiatives focused on revitalizing the Cherokee language at the First Language and Advanced Cherokee Speaker Gathering, to be held from 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. at the Chota Conference Center.
“We have to ensure that the generations coming up have opportunities to learn the language and use the language, and the Cherokee Nation Language Department has been working to provide those opportunities to Cherokee citizens of all ages, from infancy to adulthood,” said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. “We must also work each day to care for and protect our first language speakers, who have this wisdom to pass on, and that their immediate needs are met.”
The event welcomes all Cherokee first language speakers and second language learners to lunch, hear Cherokee songs and learn about new language projects Chief Hoskin and Deputy Chief Warner are launching. Door prizes will also be awarded.
The Cherokee Nation Language Department now estimates there are less than 1,500 first-language, fluent Cherokee speakers who are over the age of 60. The goal is to graduate more than 25 second language speakers per year through the tribe’s language programs.
Since taking office in 2019, Chief Hoskin and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner have worked with the Council of the Cherokee Nation to invest historic resources – more than $68 million – into Cherokee language capital projects.
“This Speaker Gathering is one of the highlights of Chief Hoskin and I’s year,” said Deputy Chief Bryan Warner. “It’s amazing to look out at the crowd and see so many of our first language Speakers and hear them conversing in our Native language. There is nothing like that sound and image.”
Last year, the Administration signed into law a permanent Durbin Feeling Language Preservation Act that sets aside a minimum budget of more than $18 million annually for Cherokee language efforts.
The Cherokee Nation Language Immersion School in Tahlequah provides an immersive experience for Cherokee students to learn the language in school. The school’s curriculum is grade level standards, and the instruction is taught in the Cherokee language, both written and spoken. The Sequoyah syllabary is used for all print materials.
“We are grateful to our administration for the support of our language preservation efforts,” said Howard Paden, Executive Director of the Cherokee Nation Language Department. “Right now, we’re graduating about 34 second-language speakers a year. Kenwood’s new Master Apprentice Program is graduating eight students, and we’re graduating 16 from Tahlequah each year. We have around 10 Immersion Middle School students a year. We also have speakers growing up in the 14th Generation After School Language Program and the Baby Immersion school. We are teaching the Cherokee language to every generation. This is how we revitalize a language.”
Last year, the Cherokee Nation broke ground on the new Cherokee Immersion Middle School in Tahlequah – a $33 million, 66,000 square-foot facility. The new school will have classrooms, a basketball gym, a stickball field, an art patio, a wellness space, dance studios, storm shelters, a cafeteria, and a media center. Construction for the new school is expected to be finished next year.
The Cherokee Language Master/Apprentice Program teaches adults proficient conversational Cherokee. It’s a two-year program that immerses Cherokee students into an environment where primarily Cherokee is spoken. Participants study under masterlevel, fluent Cherokee speakers. Sixty-three have graduated the program so far. Free Community Cherokee Language classes are offered to all members of the public within Cherokee Nation’s 14-county tribal area. Free Online Cherokee Language classes are also available for registration at learn. cherokee.org. Fall courses with teacher Ed Fields have started, but community members can register anytime.
The Language Department also operates a Translation Program that will translate English to Cherokee or vice versa for any interested community members.
Registration for the 7th annual Speakers Gathering begins at 9 a.m., before the event, at the Chota Center. For questions about the event or registration, contact the Cherokee Nation Language Department at 918-2074900.
