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- Generations: Cherokee language through art
- From
- Jordan Nelson
The Cherokee language is thousands of years old. In 1821, Sequoyah--one of the most famous Cherokees in history--created a written syllabary of characters to represent the Cherokee language's sounds.
From the late 1800s through much of the 20th century, discrimination and English-only rules at Indian boarding schools discouraged use of the language, meaning most of today's Cherokees cannot speak their own language.
The Cherokee Heritage Center's new exhibit in Tahlequah, Okla., is using art to help pass on the native language.
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Piece Description
The Cherokee language is thousands of years old. In 1821, Sequoyah--one of the most famous Cherokees in history--created a written syllabary of characters to represent the Cherokee language's sounds.
From the late 1800s through much of the 20th century, discrimination and English-only rules at Indian boarding schools discouraged use of the language, meaning most of today's Cherokees cannot speak their own language.
The Cherokee Heritage Center's new exhibit in Tahlequah, Okla., is using art to help pass on the native language.
Broadcast History
Aired on KOSU at 7:04 and 10:17 a.m., July 1, 2009.
Licensed by WAMC in July 2009.
Timing and Cues
Piece Audio Version
"CherokeelanguagePRXedit" includes same piece with alternate tag-out "I'm Jordan Nelson in Tahlequah, Oklahoma."
"KOSU News" Tag-out Version Version
"Cherokee art" piece includes tag-out "I'm Jordan Nelson, KOSU News."
Intro and Outro
INTRO:Many native tribes and nations struggle with keeping their languages alive. Discrimination, English-only policies and dying elders have led to many native languages being nearly extinct. The Cherokee Nation, in northeastern Oklahoma is using art to keep their language alive. Jordan Nelson of NPR affiliate KOSU in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and himself a Cherokee citizen, reports from the Cherokee Nation's capital in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.
OUTRO:The art exhibit from the Cherokee Heritage Center is now in North Carolina, the home of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Additional Credits
Radio feature originally done for KOSU of Stillwater, Okla.
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Nilagia McCoy
Posted on July 29, 2009 at 10:33 AM | Permalink
Review of Generations: Cherokee Language Through Art
The production values of this piece are excellent, as is the story, as it takes a local-interest news piece and turns it into one with national appeal, specifically, how the Cherokee nation is working to reclaim their culture. My only suggestion for improvement is for the announcer to slow down just a bit; there is a lot of interesting material that is covered, and one could potentially miss some of it with just one listen.