Indianz.Com > News > Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation works to preserve our language
Cherokee Nation’s efforts in language preservation honored by First Lady
Monday, December 13, 2021
Cherokee Nation
On a truly historic afternoon in early December, we hosted First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland on the Cherokee Nation Reservation to review our unique language development programs. We were honored to have this recognition from the highest levels of the U.S. government for our efforts to preserve and grow the Cherokee language.
The visiting dignitaries heard a performance in Cherokee by the Cherokee National Youth Choir, toured our Cherokee Immersion School, spoke with students and teachers at the school, and learned more about our many language programs.
Across our 7,000-square-mile reservation and in Cherokee homes across the country, we know our cultural identity is fundamentally rooted in our language. The Cherokee language is an unbroken chain that links back to time immemorial. It has survived despite extraordinary odds, outlasting European contact and colonization, war, and forced removal on the Trail of Tears. Our language outlasted a federal Indian policy that for most of the 20th century — the time of my grandfather’s generation — threatened to dismantle the entire Cherokee Nation.



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.
Search
Filed Under
Tags
More Headlines
AUDIO: Subcommittee Markup of Fiscal Year 2026 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Bill
AUDIO: H.R.410, the Alaska Native Vietnam Era Veterans Land Allotment Extension Act
AUDIO: H.R.504, the Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act
Statement: William “Billy” Kirkland nomination hearing as Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs
Native America Calling: Tribes insist on protections for wolves in the face of public pressures
George Ochenski: Another shameful chapter in treatment of tribal nations
Montana Free Press: Tribes challenge changes in voter registration laws
Cronkite News: Democrats head to primary to fill seat of the late Raúl Grijalva
House of Representatives adds two Indian Country bills to agenda
Tom Cole: The ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ is a win for America
NAFOA: 5 Things You Need to Know this Week (July 14, 2025)
Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation focuses on culture
Native America Calling: What the Texas flash floods teach us about emergency preparedness
Source New Mexico: Mescalero Apache Tribe seeks answers on internet betting
Native America Calling: What we’ve learned in the 35 years since the Mohawk Resistance at Oka
More Headlines
AUDIO: H.R.410, the Alaska Native Vietnam Era Veterans Land Allotment Extension Act
AUDIO: H.R.504, the Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act
Statement: William “Billy” Kirkland nomination hearing as Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs
Native America Calling: Tribes insist on protections for wolves in the face of public pressures
George Ochenski: Another shameful chapter in treatment of tribal nations
Montana Free Press: Tribes challenge changes in voter registration laws
Cronkite News: Democrats head to primary to fill seat of the late Raúl Grijalva
House of Representatives adds two Indian Country bills to agenda
Tom Cole: The ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ is a win for America
NAFOA: 5 Things You Need to Know this Week (July 14, 2025)
Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation focuses on culture
Native America Calling: What the Texas flash floods teach us about emergency preparedness
Source New Mexico: Mescalero Apache Tribe seeks answers on internet betting
Native America Calling: What we’ve learned in the 35 years since the Mohawk Resistance at Oka
More Headlines