Cherokee Nation Language Program Manager Roy Boney uses Cherokee syllabary on a smartphone. Cherokee Nation and Rogers State University Public TV are teaming up to launch the first televised Cherokee language learning course beginning Jan. 13.
Cherokee Nation and RSU Public TV are teaming up to launch the first televised Cherokee language learning course beginning Jan. 13.
The telecourse consists of 48 episodes, each about 50 minutes long and taught by Cherokee Nation Language Technology Specialist Wade Blevins. The telecourse is titled Cherokee I and will air at 11 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on RSU Public TV during the RSU spring semester. It will also be available online at www.rsu.tv/cherokee.
“Preserving and perpetuating the Cherokee language will take a tremendous amount of resource, so it’s exciting to see partnership opportunities such as this come along,” said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. “Teaming up with Rogers State University gives us new avenues for teaching the Cherokee language, and that means more and more Cherokees – and perhaps even those who are not Cherokee – have easy access to this beginners-level course. I appreciate RSU for always being open to new ideas. They have been a great partner to the Cherokee Nation and I look forward to future projects.”
Royal Aills, general manager of RSU Public TV says, “This is a real game changer for our viewers. When Counselman Keith Austin and Councilwoman Janice Taylor suggested this idea, I thought it was a great. This is the kind of educational opportunity public TV stations should be doing. What’s really unique is, RSU Public TV is the only public TV station in the country doing this.”
The Cherokee Nation Language Program will also offer a certificate of completion for those who register for the class on the Cherokee Nation website and complete the associated quizzes with a score of 80 percent or higher.
“Cherokee Nation’s Language Program and RSU teamed up to offer this course initially for college credit at the university last fall, but the success of the project has opened the door to make it a telecourse,” said Cherokee Nation Language Program Manager Roy Boney. “We hope this encourages more people to seize the opportunity and begin learning our beautiful language.”
Participants who wish to earn the certificate of completion from the Cherokee Nation Language Program should enroll on the Cherokee Nation website at learn.cherokee.org. For more information about enrolling in Cherokee I online through Rogers State University, visit www.rsu.edu/admissions/enrollment.
About Cherokee Nation
The Cherokee Nation is the federally recognized government of the Cherokee people and has inherent sovereign status recognized by treaty and law. The seat of tribal government is the W.W. Keeler Complex near Tahlequah, Oklahoma, the capital of the Cherokee Nation. With more than 370,000 citizens, 11,000 employees and a variety of tribal enterprises ranging from aerospace and defense contracts to entertainment venues, Cherokee Nation is one of the largest employers in northeastern Oklahoma and the largest tribal nation in the United States.
To learn more, please visit www.cherokee.org.
Editor’s note: Find all the latest Cherokee Nation news at www.anadisgoi.com.