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Manager Sammy Eagle, left, and translator David Crawler discuss how grateful those assisted by Speaker Services are for the help.

Manager Sammy Eagle, left, and translator David Crawler discuss how grateful those assisted by Speaker Services are for the help.

TAHLEQUAH, Oklahoma – With a goal of preserving its language and assisting its aging population of first-language speakers, the nation's largest Indigenous tribe has introduced a new program called Speaker Services.

Sammy Eagle, manager of the Cherokee Nation program, said it was founded relatively recently.

“It was more of volunteer thing until January 2022, when the Speaker Services program was created,” said Eagle.

The purpose, he said, is to assist fluent Cherokee speakers with their the overall well-being. This includes housing, health and education.

Eagle said that back when the Cherokee Nation wanted to identify its fluent speakers, staff members noticed the sub-par conditions many lived in.

“Some are living without running water or electricity,” he said.

Eagle said many speakers are reluctant to ask for help.

“Some might not feel comfortable coming into the office to access services,” said Eagle. “So we come out to the community to engage with them instead.”

The Cherokee Nation recently reported Speaker Services has provided 102 appliances, 57 utility or property upgrades, 52 roof repairs, 40 walk-in showers, 28 HVAC and 18 electrical repairs this year, among other projects.

Eagle said Speaker Services, under the Language Department, works with many other CN departments to coordinate assistance, like helping get speakers to their health appointments.

“We want to get every speaker comfortable so they don't have to worry and can focus on preserving the language,” said Eagle.

Howard Paden, executive director of the Cherokee Language Department, said there are around only 2,000 first-language Cherokee speakers among more than 430,000 tribal citizens.

David Crawler is a translator for Speaker Services. He said the speakers he talks to are grateful for the help.

“I just don’t have the words to tell you how I feel about it,” said Crawler, quoting what many fluent speakers have said to him.

Crawler is a fluent Cherokee speaker, like his grandparents before him.

“I wish my grandparents would have seen this,” said Crawler.

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First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.