Cherokee Language Immersion Schools Create New Generation of Fluent Speakers

Two decades ago, the Cherokee language was dying. Only about 10,000 elderly speakers remained, and few children were learning the language. Today, thanks to an ambitious immersion school program, hundreds of young people are fluent speakers.

The Cherokee Nation operates several immersion schools where children learn entirely in Cherokee from preschool through elementary school. Students graduate reading, writing, and thinking in their ancestral language.

“Only about 10,000 elderly speakers remained, and few children were learning the language.”

"Language carries our worldview, our humor, our prayers," says Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. "When we save our language, we save who we are." The program has produced over 500 fluent speakers under 18, and the number grows each year. The Cherokee model is now being replicated by other Indigenous nations across North America seeking to revive their languages.