Cherokee Immersion School

The Cherokee Immersion School (ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎾᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗ, Tsalagi Tsunadeloquasdi) is a Cherokee language immersion school in Tahlequah, Oklahoma for children during pre-school to grade 6. It was founded by the Cherokee Nation in 2001 for the purpose of preserving the heavily endangered Cherokee language.[1] Students must be members of a federally recognized tribe, and an application process is used as class size is limited.[2] After finishing at the Cherokee Immersion School, students typically transfer to an affiliated school for grades 7 and 8. Attending the immersion school can help students enroll into Sequoyah High School (grades 9 through 12).[3] Total enrollment was reported to be 141 in August 2018.[3]

Background

There were 1,520 Cherokee speakers out of 376,000 Cherokee in 2018 according to Ethnologue, which classified the language as "moribund",[4] meaning children are not learning and speaking the language. Only a handful of people under 40 years of age are fluent, and about 8 speakers die each month.[5] In 2018, 1,200 speakers were present in the Cherokee Nation and 101 were present in the United Keetoowah Band. The Kituwah (Middle or Eastern) dialect, which is taught at New Kituwah Academy in North Carolina, was known by ~220 Eastern Band Cherokee in 2018.[4] In June 2019, the Tri-Council of Cherokee tribes declared a state of emergency for the language due to the threat of it going extinct, calling for the enhancement of revitalization programs.[6] A tally by the three tribes had garnered a list of ~2,100 remaining speakers at that time.[6]

References

1. Overall, Michael (Feb 7, 2018). "As first students graduate, Cherokee immersion program faces critical test: Will the language survive?". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on May 14, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
2. "Immersion School". Cherokee Nation. Archived from the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
3. Crawford, Grant (August 15, 2018). "Cherokees learning the language". Tahlequah Daily Press. Archived from the original on January 30, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
4. "Cherokee: A Language of the United States". Ethnologue. SIL International. 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
5. Ridge, Betty (Apr 11, 2019). "Cherokees strive to save a dying language". Tahlequah Daily Press. Archived from the original on May 9, 2019. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
6. McKie, Scott (June 27, 2019). "Tri-Council declares State of Emergency for Cherokee language". Cherokee One Feather. Archived from the original on June 29, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2019.