FIRST LADY VISIT: Jill Biden, with Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, tours Cherokee Nation's language immersion school, pledges to stand with tribe

Dec. 4—First lady Dr. Jill Biden visited the Cherokee Nation's Immersion School in Tahlequah Friday, when she was greeted by tribal officials to learn what they're doing to revitalize the language.

The president's wife, along with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, arrived in a motorcade, with elected officials and the Cherokee National Youth Choir waiting to serenade her with festive traditional songs.

During her visit, Biden got to see first-hand what the tribe is doing to protect its language, as fewer than 2,000 fluent speakers remain. She learned about the investments the Cherokee Nation is making to create new speakers, and joined third-grade students for a portion of their classroom instruction: reading, writing and speaking the Cherokee language.

Biden's visit was one of several to Native communities in the U.S. this year. She said so many tribes are dedicated to keeping their heritage and language alive, and that a spirit of a people cannot be lost when everyone pulls together to protect their culture.

"That's exactly what you're doing here — kindling a love for the Cherokee language and heritage in the next generation of your people," she said. "In doing so, you are not only growing their minds and connecting them with their history, you are helping them to discover what makes all of you so unique."

Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said the tribe excels in health care, education, and business. But he said solving housing problems, constructing casinos, and expanding health care won't restore the language.

"So we have to save it, because what matters to Cherokee people is that we hang on to our culture," he said. "What matters is that we remain a distinct people."

The tribe has already made major investments in its language programs. In 2019, the Cherokee Nation Durbin Feeling Act was signed by Hoskin to invest $16 million in to perpetuating the language. And the tribe has purchased property in Adair County to introduce a second immersion school. Hoskin said he felt encouraged that the first lady realizes it takes such immersive efforts to restore a Native tongue.

"She also recognizes that there's a great deal of resources needed to do that," he said. "The Cherokee Nation is putting forth those resources, but if the United States will do something to match what we're doing, that will help. I think her seeing this first hand means she'll take that message back to the White House. She has the ear of a very important person, as we know, and we need to keep that message going."

In November, the first lady unveiled the White House Native Language Memorandum of Agreement to help promote collaboration on programming, resource development and policy related Native languages. The Biden administration is also reportedly dedicating $220 million to help tribal nations around the country protect and preserve their languages.

"This is so important to us," Biden said. "We want you to know that President Biden and his administration are a partner to you. I hope you know that. We stand with the Cherokee Nation."