Historic Meeting for language preservation

Southern Cheyenne delegation travels to Lame Deer for historic meeting with Northern Cheyenne relatives. "Language preservation" is essential.

The weekly "Soup Day" hosted by Chief Dull Knife College on August 15th needs to go down in contemporary Cheyenne history.  For the first time in recent memory, Northern Cheyenne language speakers hosted fifteen "cousins" from the Southern Cheyenne Tribe in Oklahoma for a traditional feast (drymeat soup, frybread, juneberry pudding and sweets) and a time of visiting. The southern delegation came to Northern Cheyenne with a mission: "How can we preserve our language? In Oklahoma, the spoken Cheyenne language is nearly lost." Margaret Behan, a Southern Cheyenne who lives at Northern Cheyenne helped coordinate events for the visitors. Ida E. Hoffman, Chief of Staff for the Southern Cheyenne Tribe who coordinated the event, reportied that the Tribal government paid for the Elder Culture trip. Hoffman and others are developing programs to re-teach the tribal language.

The journey included a stop at Bear Butte, a sacred site to both Tribes; the visit to the Northern Cheyenne Reservation; Crow Fair and other points of interest before the return to Oklahoma. During the luncheon and discussion, many familial ties were noted. Karen Littlecoyote, Southern Cheyenne explained that her brother Perry Little Coyote married into the Northern Cheyenne and lived most of his life in Montana. "I am very proud to be a Cheyenne," she concluded. Dr. Richard Littlebear and Tribal President Winfield Russell addressed the group, first in the Cheyenne language and then translating to English. Littlebear explained the certification process for Cheyenne language instructors, requiring a rigorous reading and writing exam.

(A Cheyenne Voice, August 29th, 2013)