The Endangered Language of the Cherokee.
When I was researching the Gaelic language of Scotland, I came across an article about languages that were becoming extinct. The Cherokee language was one of them.
My soulmate, who has been told there may be a history of Cherokee in her ancestry, is from the mountains of Western North Carolina, a place that was home to the Cherokee before they were removed from the land. Living just about an hour from the Eastern Band of Cherokee reservation, the Cherokee language is of particular interest to my family.
The Cherokee Language is considered an endangered language and is the native language of the Cherokee people. It is considered an Iroquoian language also known as the languages of the Indigenous peoples of North America.
A language of symbols, each one creating syllables when spoken, enabled the Cherokee language to be one of the first American Indigenous languages to be written.
I did not know this, but because of the written language, in 1828 the Cherokee Nation had the first newspaper to be published in an Indigenous language.
However with the new policy of assimilation enforced by the government of the United States, the Cherokee language began to decline.
Public use of the language was discouraged and punishment was enforced in schools for using it, including Indigenous boarding schools.
Today the number of people who can speak the Cherokee language continues to decline. It is estimated that there only remains about 1,520 to 2,100 people who can speak the Cherokee language.
The Cherokee People are now offering schools and classes to help teach the Cherokee language to others. It is a very important part of their culture. It is an ancient language that they are fighting to preserve. Many are recognizing the urgency to once again develop the language.
The system of society that we are living in today wants everyone to be like them. Embracing differences and acknowledging uniqueness is very rare to find today. With colonialism and the push to make everyone like them, cultures and languages are disappearing.
I watched a video by Peter Santenello, who went to interview some Cherokee people. He came across a man who was teaching the Cherokee language. He asked him why he was trying to teach it. The man responded by saying, "Language is what defines a people, if we can't speak our own Cherokee language then we just become Americans."
It is very important that we embrace and reestablish the culture that sets us apart from everyone else. Learning the customs, the languages and the beliefs of our Ancestors helps to set us apart and keep our cultures alive.
The Cherokee language is on the verge of extinction. Along with it would be one of those differences that gives uniqueness to the Cherokee culture. It is very important that support be given to help teach the language to increase the number of those who are able to speak it fluently.
Let us do what we can to help the Cherokee preserve their culture and help them reestablish their language.
Blessings!
By Michael Walters
The Ancestor's Fire
Writing the voices of the unheard
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