Honoring Our Core Values Economic Development
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ENVIRONMENTAL PRESERVATION HONORING OUR CORE VALUES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PRESERVING CHEROKEE LANGUAGE SUPPORTS CULTURE AND ECONOMY kids, using apps and on- versity students helped children can access it at line technology is part of at a Cherokee Heritage home too. their lives now, and it’s an Day by demonstrating “The Cherokee people A important way they learn, the app. Some language have always known the A Foundation grant that’s so offering the app online speakers in Snowbird and value of education. Edu- helping preserve the makes it easy to learn. Robbinsville provided cation helped us remain Cherokee language is also “All our students are support, and many com- Cherokee and preserve helping Cherokee children tech savvy now, so creat- munity members have our culture even in hard learn skills that will serve ing this app makes them volunteered too. times. Now that we have them for life. For years the more motivated to use The Foundation grant the funding we’re taking Foundation has funded building an app called Shiyo (hello in Cherokee). At its basic level, the app teaches Cherokee words and phrases; at the second level children are learning more complex language, including dialogue. The third level is now in prog- ress and it will continue to build on previous levels. “It’s critical that Cher- okee children learn our language because it’s how we view the world, and that’s only understood through our language,” explained Catcuce Tiger, Cochran Dana photography: and story cover a teacher at Cherokee Central Schools. “Learn- it. It’s free and you can ing the language shapes download it from iTunes the rest of their life, it or an Android app store. helps them gain confi- You can also access it dence and take pride in from our website, ccs-nc. their heritage.” org,” said Catcuce. In fact, Cherokee Many people and or- Central School adminis- ganizations came together tration is so committed to to help create the app. also funds a cultural advantage of using both preserving the language Cherokee Central Schools summer school program traditional and nontradi- that language classes are partnered with Kituwah, where children learn tra- tional learning methods, required for graduation. the language immer- ditional crafts and games including digital preserva- Creating and using the sion school, and staff as well as using the app tion. I’m grateful to our Shiyo app is also help- members did many of to learn language. The tribe, BIE, and the Foun- ing children learn vital the language recordings. app is used throughout dation for helping our computer skills. For most Western Carolina Uni- the school system, and school system succeed.” 2 www.cherokeepreservation.org ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CULTURAL PRESERVATION PRESERVING OUR PAST PRESERVES OUR FUTURE Cultural preservation is a major focus of the Foundation. To achieve this goal CPF supports grants in three areas; expanding learning the Cherokee language, support- ing leaders who are grounded in Cherokee core values, and helping develop culturally based youth leadership through youth empowerment. Preserving the Cherokee language is central to Cherokee culture, providing a unique C worldview that reflects cultural values. That’s why CPF provides funding for several programs that teach the language in Cherokee schools. Other grantees are teaching children in a Cherokee language immersion program; others are helping Cherokee Central School students and community members learn more through high-tech apps. A decade-old consortium partially funded by the Foundation assure that new words coming into the language are meaningful to all three Cherokee tribes, EBCI, Cherokee Nation, and The UKB. The Revitalization of Traditional Cherokee Artisan Resources (RTCAR) is a part of the Foundation. RTCAR seeks to restore traditional Cherokee balance between maintaining and using natural resources like river cane and clay. Grantee Mainspring is helping preserve heritage farming as a way of life by supporting a lifetime farmer who is growing heirloom and heritage produce and meat. “This farm is a great example of what mountain farming can be; we need local food sources,” said Sarah Posey of Mainspring Conservation Trust. “The whole point is to help farmers who are trying so hard. I want them to be around for the long haul.” GRANTEE MAINSPRING HELPING CONSERVE CHEROKEE HERITAGE FARM NEAR MURPHY, NC C Cherokee society his- torically revolved around farming and community gatherings. The spiritual context of those activi- ties cannot be overstated with every community member participating on some level. Socializing and ceremonial gather- ings always revolved around food grown by engrain farming into their Qualla Boundary. Harold chased a 32-acre farm community members, lives, which allows them and his wife Nancy bordered on two sides creating a spiritual bond to stay connected to their searched for many years by Cherokee land. The between tribal members ancestors and land. for a farm that was iso- farm includes good, flat as they celebrated, grieved Lifetime farmer lated enough to provide land and prime soil, an or socialized together. Harold Long is a member heirloom and heritage important component This Cherokee belief of EBCI; he learned his seed saving without cross for heritage farming. The continues today as many craft from his parents pollination. Longs are growing or- community members and grandparents on the In 2015 they pur- ganic heirloom vegetables www.cherokeepreservation.org 3 CULTURAL PRESERVATION photos: Travis Long Travis photos: and breeding heritage “The Longs have an Conservation Partner- “We all have to eat and poultry and swine. inspiring mountain farm ship Program (the new we might as well eat The Longs are pas- operation that values federal farm bill) and also healthy and in a manner sionate about increasing organic production and request funds from North that keeps our environ- access to heritage crop heritage preservation,” Carolina. ment healthy. When varieties and educating said Sara Posey, Hiwas- “We really want to Harold was growing up the community about the see Programs Manager, save this prime soil and they grew their own food, importance of local food Mainspring Conservation are working on getting foraged, and hunted—his production. For the past Trust. “We’re pleased to an easement in perpe- parents raised 10 children decade they have grown help them conserve it, tuity so the land will and they all came up that and saved seeds from the and grateful to the Foun- never be developed,” said way,” said Nancy. “He’s Cherokee Tribal Seed dation for helping us with Nancy Long. “We hope carrying on the Long Bank. The Bank offers an those costs. to pass it along to our family tradition of grow- annual seed give-away, The Foundation grant son and grandchildren ing our own food and providing some 800 covers some of Sarah’s who will continue grow- sharing it.” Cherokee families with time to complete the ing heirloom varieties of “The Long farm is a seeds for home gardens. conservation easement, corn, tomatoes and other great example of what Mainspring Conserva- including managing vegetables, along with mountain farming can tion Trust is helping the federal and state grants heritage chickens and a be, organic farming, Long family receive a and moving the project rare pig called a mulefoot and a heritage variety of conservation easement via to closing. Many other pig.” chickens and swine that a grant from the Founda- funders are involved in Harold and Nancy could go extinct. We need tion. The easement will this project; Sara notes grow several rare heirloom local food sources,” said help them increase their it takes many funding vegetables; Cherokee tan Sarah. “The whole point capacity for seed saving sources to put this type of pumpkins, Candyroaster is to help farmers who that benefits the EBCI project together. squash, Cherokee Trail of are trying so hard to keep community and offers a Mainspring will apply Tears beans and others. this tradition alive. I want model for Cherokee for the easement purchase They use organic practices farmers like these to be farmers. price from the Regional and save heirloom seeds. around for the long haul.” The Longs are passionate about increasing access to heritage crop varieties and educating the community about the importance of local food production. www.cherokeepreservation.org 4 CULTURAL PRESERVATION CULTURAL PRESERVATION CHEROKEE LANGUAGE REVITALIZATION PROVIDES ROOTS AND WINGS FOR EBCI vation and Education Teachers typically translate words, phrases, Program (KPEP) is a lan- determine which materi- books, stories, and songs, guage preservation insti- als are developed and as they’ve done for more D tute that seeks to sustain which are reviewed and than a decade. In some Despite various assimila- tion strategies and im- the Cherokee language by approved by curriculum cases, KPEP translates mense funding efforts by offering immersion classes development profession- some simpler materials, the United States govern- to qualified Cherokee als. Bo Lossiah, KPEP while working with ment to eliminate Native families. Currently, their Curriculum, Instruction other native speakers to American languages, the program has dozens of and Community Supervi- solve complex language Cherokee people have children attending the sor, notes that materials challenges. persevered through spiri- institute and learning adhere to the common “Grammar and se- tual fortitude to sustain the language from birth core prescription as much mantics differ in both lan- their language over several through third grade. as possible. guages,” said Bo. “Once generations with limited Also, KPEP has “We look at the needed the material is created or financial resources. developed other language materials, decide what the concept is recreated The EBCI and the support programs like graphics are needed, and we need for someone to Foundation are now language immersion find what we need, either hear it to assure that the able to offer funding to camps, community-based by scanning existing meaning and purpose is strategic partners who are language collaborations, materials or creating them accurate.” seeking new and innova- and other offerings.