Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. proposed the largest investment in language programs in the tribe’s history and detailed even more historic initiatives during his first State of the Nation Address Saturday.
Chief Hoskin announced he is asking the Council of the Cherokee Nation to approve a plan that will dedicate millions of dollars in business profits to create a new language program facility. The plan will also quadruple the size of the Cherokee Language Master Apprentice Program, an adult immersion program that pairs novice language learners with master-level fluent Cherokee speakers 40 hours per week for two years.
“We must act boldly and quickly on language preservation,” Chief Hoskin said. “If we fail to act now, Cherokees generations from now will be unimpressed by our health facilities. They will be unmoved by the size of our casinos. They will be bewildered as to why, in 2019, the great Cherokee Nation failed to do what was necessary to save our language. We cannot fail, we must not fail, and we will not fail.”
A second proposal by Chief Hoskin will double the amount of business revenue the Cherokee Nation uses to pay for Cherokees to complete career training programs.