Cherokee Nation First Language Speakers Meet For Gathering To Celebrate Cherokee Language

Cherokee Nation citizens met today for a gathering to celebrate the Cherokee language. 

Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr says he's hoping to make a permanent investment in making sure the language is preserved. 

First-language speakers are Cherokee citizens who have been speaking Cherokee since they were little kids. They met Tuesday in Tahlequah to eat lunch and speak with one another. 

Fredia Vann said meetings like this are important. 

"It means a lot because if we don't keep up the language, we're going to lose it, and I will tell you this: if you don't speak it every day, you're losing it," she said. 

Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr. says preserving the language is up to everyone, especially the next generation. 

He said enrollment at immersion schools is up 36 percent since 2019. 

"If we stand still, we will fall behind; on this mission, we shall not fall behind," he said. 

The Durbin Feeling Language Act, which has been key in preserving the language, is set to expire next year, but Hoskin announced today he will introduce new legislation to the tribe's council by the end of the year to make the law permanent. 

"We will propose that the Cherokee Nation language department record-setting $18 million operating budget will now become its minimum operating budget. We will start at $18 million and build up from there," he said. 

Fredia says as time goes on, it's more important than ever that the language is passed on to younger generations. 

"This is our culture, this is our life, and if we don't speak our language, we don't exist," she said.