Fort Gibson schools to offer Cherokee instruction

FORT GIBSON, Okla. (AP) -- The Fort Gibson Public School District plans to offer instruction in Cherokee culture and customs.<br/><br/>Assistant Superintendent Linda Clinkenbeard says the district is working

Thursday, November 3rd 2005, 5:53 am

By: News On 6

FORT GIBSON, Okla. (AP) -- The Fort Gibson Public School District plans to offer instruction in Cherokee culture and customs.

Assistant Superintendent Linda Clinkenbeard says the district is working to get state certification in the Cherokee language.

The district has a 40 percent American Indian student population, most of them Cherokee. Clinkenbeard says she believes there should be an interest in the language.

A 2002 study by the Cherokee Nation indicated less than seven percent of tribal members in northeastern Oklahoma can speak Cherokee.