Indianz.Com > News > Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation invests in our language

With new Cherokee Language Center, Durbin Feeling’s legacy lives on
Monday, May 24, 2021
Cherokee Nation
• S.1402 – Durbin Feeling Native American Languages Act of 2021
The Cherokee language has always been the heart and soul of our tribe. Our language contains knowledge and ways of thinking that can never be fully captured in translation. All of our accomplishments in health care, education and economic development could never make up for the loss if we allow our language to perish.
That is why we are working aggressively to save our language. Fortunately, a permanent place to develop Cherokee speakers and foster Cherokee language learning is closer to fruition. Ground was recently broken for the Durbin Feeling Language Center, a 50,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility that will be housed in the former Cherokee Casino Tahlequah.
In a little over a year, the center will become the long-term home of the Cherokee Language Department, which is comprised of more than a dozen unique programs for Cherokee language perpetuation. The former casino site will be expanded and modified to include a cafeteria, gymnasium, sound booth and vault for document storage. For the first time in history, all of these essential programs will be under one roof.
The campus will also soon include homes for speakers. Five dwellings are currently under construction adjacent to the center, and plans are underway for more homes for elders and families involved with the language programs. Cherokee-speaking elders will be given a safe and comfortable place to live, and Cherokee students will have much greater opportunity to interact with and learn from them.
Durbin Feeling Language Center – Tahlequah, Oklahoma



Chuck Hoskin Jr. is the 18th elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, the largest Indian tribe in the United States. He is only the second elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation from Vinita, the first being Thomas Buffington, who served from 1899-1903. Prior to being elected Principal Chief, Hoskin served as the tribe’s Secretary of State. He also formerly served as a member of the Council of the Cherokee Nation, representing District 11 for six years.
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