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Appearing on COMMUNITY CONNECTION, newly re-elected Principal Chief of Cherokee Nation Chuck Hoskin Jr. brought us up to date on issues on Cherokee Nation.

 

Chief Hoskin first addressed the celebrations across Indian Country for the U.S. Supreme Court’s 7-2 Brackeen v. Haaland decision upholding the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). The ruling was a triumph for tribes and, more importantly, for the health and safety of Native American children.

 

Hoskin said, "When it comes to defending ICWA, the facts, the law, and the U.S. Constitution have always been on our side. The SCOTUS decision reinforces years of legal precedent that tribes and tribal citizens have a sovereign right to self-determination and preservation of our cultural identities."

 

He added, "ICWA is essential to making sure that never happens again. We know Native children are safest and happiest when they can grow up within their own community. However, that hasn’t stopped repeated attempts to tear down ICWA, driven by political motivations and based on falsehoods."

 

Chief Hoskin said the Cherokee Nation Language Department is now utilizing two apps to provide Cherokee language lessons, Cherokee hymnals and a copy of the New Testament written in the Cherokee language.

 

The Cherokee Nation Language Department partnered with Memrise to add 20 Cherokee language lessons to the educational language application that can be downloaded on iOS and Android devices.

 

The free-to-use app, featuring a user-friendly interface and helpful video clips with the spoken dialects in action to help master real-world scenarios, now has nearly 1,000 Cherokee words and phrases that were added as content by the Cherokee Nation Language Department. More Cherokee lessons are being developed for future updates to the app.

 

“Memrise is among the most popular language apps with just over 60 million people using it as an easy and convenient way to learn almost any language they choose,” Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said. “When the folks in our language department were made aware of this educational app, they made it a priority to have the Cherokee language added with the help of our translators. Like Deputy Chief Bryan Warner and I have said countless times before, the preservation and perpetuation of Cherokee language and culture is very important to us and a project we continue to prioritize.”

 

The Cherokee Nation Language Department is also unveiling the Cherokee Book of Praise app, which contains the Cherokee New Testament and a selection of over 100 Cherokee hymns in Cherokee syllabary and phonetics. It is available for iOS and is expected to be available for Android users to download in the Google Play Store in the coming months.

 

Similarly, the hymn book portion of the Cherokee Book of Praise app will soon include recordings of Cherokee singers. Other updates to the app include dynamic search functions and highlightable text to accompany read- and sing-alongs.

 

“We have an amazing team of Cherokee speakers who are committed heart and soul to providing Cherokee language lessons and translations, including hymns and the New Testament,” said Howard Paden, Cherokee Nation Language Department executive director. “The Cherokee language is intertwined with our identity as a people and I’ve said before that the revitalization of the Cherokee language must come from among the Cherokee people. Both of these projects – the Memrise app and the Cherokee Book of Praise – are even more ways we are perpetuating our beautiful language.”

 

For more information about the Cherokee Language Department as well as its resources and programs, visit https://language.cherokee.org/.