Sequoyah Students Earn Second in Cherokee Language Bowl
Recently, 14 teams from several area schools displayed their knowledge and understanding of the Cherokee language as they competed for top honors in Cherokee Nation’s annual Cherokee Language Bowl.
Coordinated by the tribe’s Johnson O’Malley program, the language bowl is designed to promote the study, use and retention of the Cherokee language in young people. The competition is open to schools in the Cherokee Nation’s jurisdictional area to students in grades K-12 who are eligible to participate in the JOM program.
“Our cultural competitions were developed for cultivating the ground for students of the JOM program to know and understand more of who they are and where they come from,” said Shelley Butler-Allen, director of the Cherokee Nation JOM Program. “The Cherokee language is a very critical element for a student’s self identity and tribal identity, so we feel like these competitions help plant the seed for them and for their future.”
In Division IV (9th -12th grades), winners included: Division IV A, Gore Tsalagi Gotv, first place, Sequoyah Schools’ Beans and Frybread, second place and third place was awarded to Muldrow Gigage Gitli.
Sequoyah Schools' Cherokee langauge bowl team member are Whitney Hatley, Curtis Mouse, Jacinda Pettit, Dakota Rios and Taylor O'Field. They are coached by Jim Carey and Susan Adair.