Apple Adds Cherokee Language to All Mobile Devices

Chris Howell NewsOn6.com

TAHLEQUAH, OK---There's an ‘app' for just about everything these days, and now that includes the Cherokee language. The Cherokee Nation has been working with Apple over the last several years to develop the software to allow people to communicate through email, text messages and work on all Apple based mobile devices in the Cherokee language.

Principal Chief Chad Smith was at the Cherokee Immersion School in Tahlequah today to demonstrate the new technology.

‘For these children it takes just a heartbeat to pick up new technology,' he said, ‘it becomes a medium for them to learn, to exercise the language and really understand the concept of humanity that's embedded in our language.'

Cherokee is the first Native language to be featured on Apple, Inc. devices, and is one of about only 40 languages overall.