Cherokee Nation gets $900k federal grant to boost heritage language preservation efforts

The Cherokee Nation received a federal grant to further its language efforts.

The U.S. Department of the Interior awarded the tribe $900,000 to grow its Cherokee language teachers.

“An important part of preserving and celebrating our shared Cherokee heritage is by creating a new generation of Cherokee speakers who can continue to perpetuate the language and teach others about how to speak it,” said Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. “The Cherokee Language Master/Apprentice Program and our immersion schools are prime examples of how we’re showing our commitment to keeping our language alive for future generations. These grant funds will bolster our work and support the historic, ongoing language efforts we have undertaken, including the recent permanent reauthorization of the historic Durbin Feeling Language Preservation Act.”

The grant will expand the duties of the existing Teacher Bridge project, created to increase learner proficiency and professional skills for graduates of the program as they become Cherokee language teacher candidates.

The grant will allow staff and candidates from the Teacher Bridge Program to create training curricula and materials to provide instruction through professional development to teachers in the Cherokee Language Department.

The tribe received an initial $300,000 from the grant and will receive additional funding every year for 2 more years based on Congressional appropriations.