Cherokee Nation graduates eight Cherokee speakers from language program

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. - The Cherokee Nation's Cherokee Language Master/Apprentice Program graduated eight students during a special commencement ceremony at the Chota Center.

Erlinda Soap (ᏓᎦᏏ), of Lyons Switch; Jarren Fourkiller (ᏥᏲᏎ), of Lyons Switch; Kendra Mouse (ᎤᎵᎶ), of Tahlequah; Jaice Bush (ᏩᎴᎵ), of Nicut; Joe Fourkiller (ᏤᎩ), of Fairfield; Darrell McCoy (ᎣᎦᎾ), of Cookson; Jesse Grayson (ᏩᎴᎳ), of Tahlequah; and Stand Paden (ᎦᏙᎦ), of Kenwood, each received a plaque of completion during the ceremony.

"This group of graduates stands as a powerful testament to our dedication to preserving and advancing the Cherokee language," said Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. "They join the ranks of many who have completed this program and are now poised to live, speak, and apply their knowledge in service to our people. Their work will not only ensure a lifetime of engagement with the language but also challenges us to match their dedication with our own resources. Today, the Cherokee Nation is uniquely positioned to seize this moment. If there was ever a time to act, it is now."

The Cherokee Nation established the Cherokee Language Master/Apprentice Program in 2014 to teach adults to be proficient conversational Cherokee speakers and teachers. Participants receive an hourly educational stipend and typically spend 40 hours per week for two years immersed in the Cherokee language with master-level, fluent Cherokee speakers.

"Today, we gather not just to celebrate our language, but to honor a transformative program that is nurturing a new generation of Cherokee speakers," said Deputy Chief Bryan Warner. "Rooted in our Cherokee values and in the principle of Gadugi, we are united in our mission to revitalize and preserve the Cherokee language for future generations."

Master speakers Tony Owens, Joyce Green, Don Duggar, Helena McCoy and Cora Flute taught participants the Cherokee language in a classroom setting. In addition to classroom learning, students were encouraged to visit Cherokee-fluent elders to learn and practice speaking the language. The students also visited community organizations and schools to showcase and teach the language.

"We may not be our elders who have spoken fluent Cherokee since birth, but we are fighting for this language," Cherokee Nation Language Department Executive Director Howard Paden said. "Our teachers, our Council and our administration fight for it every day. As a result, this program keeps growing and will continue to do so."

The program has now graduated 57 conversational, second-language Cherokee speakers since its first graduating class in 2016.

"I grew up traditional, it was common in my home to make crafts and traditional foods, and to know our history, but one thing that eluded me growing up was our language," CLMAP graduate Jesse Grayson said. "So to me I wanted to have that fullness of also knowing our language and being able to pass that on to my children."

Graduate Jaren Fourkiller said her family was her motivation to enroll in CLMAP and become a second-language learner.

"I joined this program because my family has spoken Cherokee my entire life and sadly, we've lost a few speakers in our home," Fourkiller said. "Now that I am here, I've learned that I also want to preserve our language, without our language we cannot call ourselves Cherokee. This has been the most rewarding and challenging two years of my life all at the same time. I am very thankful for this program and I hope to see it grow even further."

Earlier this month, the Cherokee Nation held a groundbreaking ceremony to kick off construction of its first ever Cherokee Immersion Middle School. Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner first announced in January 2024 that they were dedicating $30 million to build a Cherokee language middle school to extend enrollment and space for second-language Cherokee learners.

Along with the middle school, in November 2022, the tribe celebrated the opening of the new, historic $20 million Durbin Feeling Language Center, which houses all the Cherokee Nation's growing Cherokee Language programs under one roof to preserve and perpetuate the language.

The Durbin Feeling Language Center was funded through the Durbin Feeling Language Preservation Act, legislation introduced by Chief Hoskin and Deputy Chief Warner to provide millions of dollars for preserving and perpetuating the Cherokee language. When approved by the Council of the Cherokee Nation, it became the largest language investment in the tribe's history.

In January 2024, the Cherokee Nation passed legislation that permanently reauthorized the Durbin Feeling Language Preservation Act.

For more information, including program qualifications, visit https://language.cherokee.org/language-programs/cherokee-language-master-apprentice-program/ or call the Cherokee Language Master Apprentice Program office at 918-207-4995.

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