We Will Speak

Storyline

The Cherokee language is deeply tied to Cherokee identity; yet generations of assimilation efforts by the U.S. government and anti-Indigenous stigmas have forced the Tri-Council of Cherokee tribes to declare a State of Emergency for the language in 2019. While there are 430,000 Cherokee citizens in the three federally recognized tribes, fewer than an estimated 2,000 fluent speakers remain—the majority of whom are elderly. The covid pandemic has unfortunately hastened the course. Language activists, artists, and the youth must now lead the charge of urgent radical revitalization efforts to help save the language from the brink of extinction.

Top Cast

K

Keli Gonzales

Self

C

Carolyn Swepston

Self

Schon Duncan

Self

M

Marion Scraper

Self

E

Eda Scraper

Self

D

Durbin Feeling

Self

C

Clifton Petit

Self

W

Weynema Smith

Self

D

David Crawler

Self

B

Betty Frogg

Self