https://reasonstobecheerful.world/preserving-cherokee-language-books/
"At the entrance to the New Kituwah Academy in Cherokee, North Carolina, a big
red sign reads ‘English Stops Here.’ The school, which teaches preschool
through the sixth grade, is a Cherokee language immersion program. Classes,
lunch and after-school activities are conducted primarily in Cherokee, and the
school’s books, maps and diagrams are full of the 85 symbols that make up the
Cherokee syllabary.
Among other resources, teachers and students have access to copies of a half
dozen hand-printed picture books designed and created by students at Western
Carolina University (WCU). The books cover a range of topics, from Cherokee
myths and legends to the riparian habitats of western North Carolina.
The partnership with WCU was initiated by Dr. Hartwell Francis, the curriculum
developer for the New Kituwah Academy and an honorary member of the Eastern
Band of Cherokee Indians.
“One of the things you realize when you start working with a language of a
small population is that there are often no materials, or very few materials.
And the materials aren’t very pretty,” Francis said in an interview with the
Daily Yonder.
So Francis approached Tatiana Potts, printmaking and book arts professor at
Western Carolina University. Potts, who is from Slovakia and grew up speaking
multiple languages, embraced the project immediately. She sees it as an
opportunity for her students to not only learn new printmaking skills, but also
to build cross-cultural connections with a community only 20 miles down the
road.
“The university is placed on former Cherokee land,” Potts told the
Daily
Yonder. “So I wanted that acknowledgement. Not just before every performance
we do, but to make a real connection and learn about their culture.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
