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Cherokee
Nation's Language Program
Program
Base: Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma in Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Goals:
- To
create and strengthen use of the language.
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To develop Cherokee language units.
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To increase the number of persons fluent and literate in the Cherokee
language.
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To assist Cherokees and non-Cherokees of all ages to have magazines,
videos, software, and tapes in both Cherokee and English.
Brief
Description:
Working with elders who speak the language fluently, staff at
the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma teach in the communities and develop
classroom-teaching materials or self-teaching materials on CD-ROM
for use with computers. Laptop computers with the Cherokee syllabary
say the Cherokee sounds for the student who is learning the language.
Participants range from preschoolers to elders 60 years of age or
older, and the program is open to all who wish to participate. Services
are provided in preschools; elementary, middle, and high schools;
college or university campuses; tribal facilities; and community
settings. Services are provided to people in other states through
the mail or by telephone. The instructor, whose first language was
Cherokee, received permission from the tribe to teach the language,
worked as a teacher's aide, and earned a bilingual endorsement from
Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The program
became official in 1995.
Materials:
Children's stories, books, audiotapes, videos, and computer software.
Support:
Support comes from the tribe and from elders who speak Cherokee.
The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma passed the Cherokee Nation Language
and Cultural Preservation Act, which states: "This Act is in
recognition that the survival of a people is dependent upon their
capacity to preserve and protect their culture and language."
Policies and a committee guide the program.
Contact
Information:
Durbin Feeling, Linguist
Cherokee Nation
Tsa-la-gi Cultural Center
P. O. Box 948
Tahlequah, OK 74465
dfeeling@mail.netsites.net
(918) 458-6170
Fax: (918) 458-6172
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