TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — The Cherokee Nation’s Cherokee Language Master/Apprentice Program graduated seven students Friday, March 20, during a special commencement ceremony at the Durbin Feeling Language Center in Tahlequah.
ᏣᎵᏏ (Jalisi Gladd) of Tahlequah, ᎠᎦᏍᎦ (Isaiah Baldridge) of Stilwell, ᏇᏗ (Ashley Flute) of Bunch, ᏧᎧᏏᏟ (Karri Locust) of Tahlequah, ᎤᎬᏫᏳ (Kaynan Pulse) of Skiatook, ᏥᏍᏕᏥ (Monte Tehee) of Tulsa, and ᎦᎵᏍᏓᏰ (Amari Fields) of Sallisaw each received a plaque of completion during the ceremony.
“These seven graduates have taken commitment to the Cherokee language to a highly elevated level. This program doesn’t just commit two years to language learning. It is the beginning of a lifelong career dedicated to keeping the language and culture of the Cherokee Nation alive and vibrant,” Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said. “The Cherokee Nation is grateful to CLMAP graduates, students and teachers who keep this historic program running.”
The tribe established the Cherokee Language Master/Apprentice Program in 2014 to teach adults to be proficient, conversational Cherokee speakers and teachers. Participants receive an hourly educational stipend and typically spend 40 hours per week for two years immersed in the Cherokee language with master-level, fluent Cherokee speakers.
“The Council of the Cherokee Nation is always impressed by and grateful for every cohort of CLMAP graduates. Each student brings their own individual skills and abilities to the table, all with the common goal of learning the language, and that’s what makes this language community so special,” said Cherokee Nation Speaker of the Council Johnny Jack Kidwell.
Cherokee language teachers ᏤᎩ (Tony Owens), ᏔᎳᏚ (Coleen Daugherty), ᎠᎦᏘᏯ (Joyce Green), ᎡᎵᏔᎻ (Don Duggar), ᏥᏴᏂᏍᏗ (Billie Teehee), ᏓᎳᎳ (Michael McCoy), and ᏗᎠᏐᎸ (Steven Daugherty) taught participants the Cherokee language in a classroom setting. In addition to classroom learning, students were encouraged to visit Cherokee-fluent elders to learn and practice speaking the language. The students also visited community organizations and schools to showcase and teach the language.
CLMAP graduate Isaiah Baldridge said that the former graduates and students ahead of them in the program also played an essential role in supporting their learning efforts. After graduation, Baldridge plans to work on archives.
“I’m going to be reading old documents written in Cherokee that have been returned to us, as well as old recordings of speakers. One of the best parts of this experience was getting to talk to elders from other communities. Sometimes I would find out that they were related to me, or they might become like family.”
The program has now graduated 75 conversational, second-language Cherokee speakers since its first graduating class in 2016.
CLMAP graduate Jalisi Gladd plans to pursue an additional year of Cherokee language learning.
“I got accepted into third year, which is a newer program for learners where they have an additional year of learning provided for them,” she said. Gladd will be considered staff as a teacher’s assistant and will help teach newer cohorts but will also remain a CLMAP student for another year of learning.
“I think the highlight of my experience was that I learned how to pray in Cherokee. Two of my uncles were church deacons, and I grew up hearing them pray in Cherokee. Now, I can, and I think that’s amazing,” Gladd said.
For more information, including program qualifications, visit https://language.cherokee.org or call the Cherokee Language Master/Apprentice Program office at 918-207-4995.