Osiyo, Voices of the Cherokee People: Season 4, Episode 6

SEASON 4, EPISODE 6

This episode of “Osiyo, Voices of the Cherokee People” combines four stories with a common thread: the Cherokee language. Mack Vann only speaks Cherokee, and, here, he expresses his hopes and concerns about the future of the language and Cherokee way of life. Jerry and Robert Bigfeather share how the sound of Appalachia fiddling made its way to the Cherokee Nation. Dennis Sixkiller, host of “Cherokee Voices, Cherokee Sounds,” visits with Cherokee speakers on his weekly radio show. And Cherokee National Treasure Dorothy Ice tells us about her background and how she became an admired weave.

IN THIS EPISODE

Listening to Our Elders, with Mack Vann

Cherokee elder Mack Vann never learned to speak fluent English. He has a message for younger generations.

Dennis Sixkiller, Giving Cherokee Elders A Voice

Cherokee Speaker and radio host Dennis SIxkiller keeps the Cherokee language alive with his weekly radio show, echoing the words and songs of our elders throughout Cherokee country.

Dorothy Ice: Weaving the Tapestry of Tradition

Cherokee National Treasure Dorothy Ice is one of the original weavers from the celebrated Sequoyah Indian Weavers Association. She shares her memories of growing up in the small, rural community of Briggs, Oklahoma, and how she learned to make her well-known diamond-weave blankets.

Cherokee Fiddling

How the mountain music found a home in the Cherokee Nation.

Let's Talk Cherokee

Cherokee elder and speaker Lawrence Panther gets back to basics teaching the Cherokee syllabary with help from Cherokee Immersion Charter School student Gavin. In this lesson, they share pronunciation of several Cherokee consonant sounds and words created from them, including “black,” “snake” and “moody.”