Like many other indigenous languages, the Cherokee language has lost native speakers over the years.
However, on Dec. 3, language preservation efforts got a boost from who else but the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
2 News Oklahoma’s Douglas Braff listened to one woman who was discouraged from learning it as a child.
“When I was growing up, I knew I was Cherokee Indian,” Christina Stiles recalled. “But it was kind of frowned upon, so they kind of pushed everything aside, and I didn’t get to learn a lot of my history.”
“Basically, they were scared to let people know we were Indian,” she added. “So, it was kind of, you know, ‘don’t tell anybody.’ And so, I wasn’t allowed to learn anything about it.”
Now that she’s grown up, Stiles is making up for lost time and making sure the language of her ancestors isn’t lost.
“When I got older, …