TAHLEQUAH, OK – Cherokee Nation and the American Indian Resource Center Inc. (AIRC) recently signed an agreement providing $800,000 from the Cherokee Nation to support AIRC’s Little Cherokee Seeds program in 2026. The Little Cherokee Seeds (LCS) program is a a mother-infant program that raises Cherokee infants in revitalized Cherokee tradition, culture, and language, creating fluency and cultural values in Cherokee children as they grow up.
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. signed a memorandum of understanding Dec. 17 to provide operating funds, equipment, and capital funds to the program.
“The Cherokee Nation is recommitting its support for this program,” said Chief Hoskin. “We understand that revitalization of the Cherokee language is an important Cherokee national interest, but we also know that when people are working toward this same goal, whether they are within the Cherokee Nation or not, that this program is a very good thing. The American Indian Resource Center not only shares the same goal of Cherokee language revitalization, but they share the same values surrounding culture and tradition as our language department, and that is what makes this partnership so fruitful and important.”
The Cherokee Nation also provided similar funding to support the program’s 2025 efforts. The tribe has also provided LCS with contributions such as new vehicles and classroom remodeling support.
“We are experiencing unprecedented amounts of investment into the language right now,” said Cherokee Nation Deputy Secretary of State Canaan Duncan, who sits on the board of directors for AIRC. “We’re seeing that in our own immersion schools that we’ve expanded. We’re seeing it in our adult Cherokee Language Master Apprentice Program [CLMAP]. And then here, with the Little Cherokee Seeds program, we are seeing people after that same, shared goal. Some of the families in the Little Cherokee Seeds program have other family members in the CLMAP program, so whenever they are at home and all together, they are all able to speak and understand Cherokee. It’s truly a joint effort, and we’re watching the language being revitalized right before our eyes.”
By nurturing fluency through early immersion, the Little Cherokee Seeds program ensures future generations are equipped to carry the Cherokee language forward, fostering a profound connection to ancestral traditions, values, and history.
“Cherokee Little Seeds is a program that makes sure Cherokee children hear the Cherokee language first, and we know from research that if toddlers hear and know Cherokee as their first language, they are more likely to retain it,” said Tonia Weavel, President of the Board of Directors for AIRC. “We don’t live in an all-Cherokee world, so we are creating an all-Cherokee world for our children. The program also teaches the mothers of these children the language, so it’s a co-learning environment. We also do things that Indigenous families did in the past here, such as gardening, identifying plants, gathering wild foods, and understanding the cycles of nature.”
Since the program’s inception, Cherokee Nation has provided nearly $3 million in cash or in-kind support to Little Cherokee Seeds.