Preserving Cherokee Nation language through technology
15 Junio 2020 - 10:29AM
Among the more than 380,000 citizens of the Cherokee Nation -- the
largest tribe in the U.S. -- there are roughly 2,000 fluent
Cherokee speakers, making people who speak this sacred
language increasingly rare. When COVID-19 stay-at-home orders were
issued for Tahlequah, Okla., capital of the Cherokee Nation, on
March 19, 2020, tribal elders who speak only Cherokee were no
longer able to meet in person with translators who could help them
better understand the pandemic, how to avoid exposure to the
coronavirus, and arrange in their native language for medical care
and the delivery of food and prescriptions.
“We had to educate our elders who only speak Cherokee, and they
had to understand that this threat and new rules had to be
followed. A lot of these concepts don’t exist culturally or in
direct translations between Cherokee and English,” said Howard
Paden, who leads the tribe’s Cherokee Language Master Apprentice
Program.
To keep elders connected to the translators who provide news and
instructions in Cherokee, Paden and his team partnered with Verizon
to set up its OneTalk service, creating a virtual hotline to ensure
every call from an elder was answered. OneTalk works by routing an
incoming call to multiple mobile or landline phones, so if one line
goes unanswered, it automatically forwards to another number until
the call is answered. Cherokee elder speakers use the hotline to
get pandemic-related questions answered, arrange for deliveries
from the Cherokee Nation’s COVID-19 emergency food program, make
doctor appointments and refill prescriptions.
The Cherokee Nation has also partnered with Verizon to enable
distance learning. Paden and his team host virtual classes with
elementary school students enrolled in the Cherokee language
program at the Cherokee Immersion Charter School. Verizon devices
are also being used to help the Cherokee Nation complex operators
work remotely while fielding tribal government services calls.
“We’re able to meet the needs of our community during a time of
uncertainty. [Those who speak Cherokee] are more comfortable
hearing things if it is communicated in Cherokee,” said Paden.
“When you can communicate in the language of parents and
grandparents, it eases fears.”
Visit the Verizon COVID-19 information page to learn more about
Verizon’s response.
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) was formed on
June 30, 2000 and is celebrating its 20th year as one of the
world’s leading providers of technology, communications,
information and entertainment products and services. Headquartered
in New York City and with a presence around the world, Verizon
generated revenues of $131.9 billion in
2019. The company offers voice,
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and platforms, delivering on customers’ demand for
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Media contact:Najuma
Thorpenajuma.thorpe@verizon.com@najuma
Juli Burdajuli.burda@verizon.com
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