New Kituwah Academy
{{short description|Bilingual Cherokee- and English-language immersion school in North Carolina, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox school
| name = New Kituwah Academy
| native_name = {{lang|chr|ᎠᏤ ᎩᏚᏩ ᏧᎾᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗ|italic=no}}
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| city = Cherokee
| county = Swain
| state = North Carolina
| zipcode = 28719
| country = United States
| coordinates = {{coord|35.501071|-83.310233|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| pushpin_map = USA North Carolina#USA
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| opened = {{Start date|2004|04|19|df=y}}{{cite web |last1=McKie |first1=Scott |title=Seven Years! New Kituwah Academy celebrates anniversary |url=https://theonefeather.com/2011/04/seven-years-new-kituwah-academy-celebrates-anniversary/ |publisher=Cherokee One Feather |access-date=28 February 2019 |date=2011-04-19}}
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| status = Open
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| us_nces_school_id = A1302201{{cite web |title=School Detail for New Kituwah Academy |url=https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/privateschoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&County=Swain&State=37&ID=A1302201 |publisher=National Center for Education Statistics |access-date=28 February 2019}}
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| principal = Crystal Carpenter[https://ebcikpep.com/ Kituwah Preservation and Education Program] Accessed June 3, 2019.
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| accreditation = Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
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| website = https://ebcikpep.com/
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| address = 60 Waterdam Road
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| authority = Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
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| enrollment_as_of = 2018
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{{Contains special characters|Cherokee}}
The New Kituwah Academy (Cherokee: {{lang|chr|ᎠᏤ ᎩᏚᏩ ᏧᎾᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗ|italic=no}}, {{Transliteration|chr|Atse Kituwah Tsunadeloquasdi}};{{cite web |title=KPEP/NKA Calendar |url=https://ebcikpep.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/May-August-calendar-NKA-II.pdf |publisher=New Kituwah Academy |access-date=5 June 2019}}{{cite web |title=Cherokee Nation Education Services |url=https://www.cherokee.org/chr/all-services/education-services/sequoyah-schools/%E1%8F%A3%E1%8E%B3%E1%8E%A9-%E1%8F%A7%E1%8E%BE%E1%8F%95%E1%8E%B6%E1%8F%86%E1%8F%8D%E1%8F%97/ |publisher=Cherokee Nation |access-date=10 July 2019}} {{respell|gi|DOO|wah}}),{{cite web |last1=Waggoner |first1=Martha |title=Hopes of preserving Cherokee language rest with children |url=https://www.hickoryrecord.com/news/hopes-of-preserving-cherokee-language-rest-with-children/article_04f2d534-d3e0-11e4-875b-7f8b620386f6.html |website=Hickory Record |publisher=Associated Press |access-date=28 February 2019 |date=2015-03-27}} also known as the Atse Kituwah Academy, is a private bilingual Cherokee- and English-language immersion school for Cherokee students in kindergarten through sixth grade,{{cite web |title=KPEP and Kituwah |url=https://ebci.com/services/departments/department-of-education/kpep-and-kituwah/ |website=Eastern Band of Cherokee |access-date=28 February 2019}} located in Cherokee, North Carolina,{{cite web |last1=Schlemmer |first1=Liz |title=To Save Their Endangered Language, 2 Cherokee Brothers Learn As They Teach |url=https://www.npr.org/2018/12/24/674509385/to-save-their-endangered-language-2-cherokee-brothers-learn-as-they-teach |publisher=NPR |access-date=28 February 2019 |date=2018-12-24}} in the Yellow Hill community of the Qualla Boundary. It is owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI),{{cite web |title=Cherokee Language |url=http://cherokeepreservation.org/what-we-do/cultural-preservation/cherokee-language/ |publisher=Cherokee Preservation Foundation |access-date=28 February 2019}} and operated by the Kituwah Preservation and Education Program (KPEP).{{cite web |last1=Weston |first1=J. |title=New Cherokee School Opens |url=https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/new-cherokee-school-opens |publisher=Cultural Survival |access-date=28 February 2019}}
The school is part of a larger effort by the EBCI to save and revitalize the endangered Cherokee language by creating immersion and other language-learning opportunities;{{cite web |last1=Jessel |first1=Christine |title=Lessons In Cherokee Teach More Than Language |url=http://www.wuot.org/post/lessons-cherokee-teach-more-language |publisher=WUOT |access-date=28 February 2019 |date=2013-09-26}} it also instills Cherokee cultural pride.{{cite web |last1=Relyea |first1=Laura |title=With Drawl |url=https://bittersoutherner.com/with-drawl |publisher=The Bitter Southerner |access-date=28 February 2019 |quote=The Eastern Cherokees are working hard to preserve their languages. Educational programming that happens there, as well as at the Atse Kituwah Immersion Academy, aims to get Cherokee children speaking the language at a young enough age that they can grow up comfortably within it, and pass the along to generations to follow. They also aim to instill the children with the a strong sense of cultural pride.}}
The word kituwah ({{lang|chr|ᎩᏚᏩ|italic=no}}) is used by the Eastern Cherokee to refer to both themselves and their language; it can also mean "center" or "mother town" depending on context. New Kituwah is independent from the Cherokee Central Schools at Qualla Boundary.
Background
In 2018 there were 1,520 Cherokee speakers out of 376,000 Cherokee enrolled in three federally recognized tribes, according to Ethnologue, which classified the language as "moribund."{{cite web |title=Cherokee: A Language of the United States |work=Ethnologue |publisher=SIL International |date=2013 |access-date=May 16, 2019 |url=http://www.ethnologue.com/language/chr }} This means that most children are not learning and speaking the language. Only a handful of people under 40 years of age are fluent in Cherokee, and about eight Cherokee speakers die each month.{{Cite news|url=https://www.tahlequahdailypress.com/news/tribal_news/cherokees-strive-to-save-a-dying-language/article_c944efa0-2847-5688-a113-969768259f1b.html|title=Cherokees strive to save a dying language|last=Ridge|first=Betty|date=Apr 11, 2019|work=Tahlequah Daily Press|access-date=May 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509173549/https://www.tahlequahdailypress.com/news/tribal_news/cherokees-strive-to-save-a-dying-language/article_c944efa0-2847-5688-a113-969768259f1b.html|url-status=live|archive-date=May 9, 2019}}
In 2018, the Eastern dialect present in North Carolina (which is taught at New Kituwah) was known by about 220 Eastern Band speakers. UNESCO considers the North Carolina dialect of Cherokee "severely endangered".{{cite web|url=http://www.unesco.org/languages-atlas/index.php?hl=en&page=atlasmap&cc2=US|title=UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in danger|website=www.unesco.org|language=en|access-date=2017-12-17}}
In June 2019, the Tri-Council of Cherokee tribes—the EBCI, the Cherokee Nation, and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians—declared a state of emergency for the language due to the threat of it going extinct; they called for enhancement of revitalization programs.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theonefeather.com/2019/06/tri-council-declares-state-of-emergency-for-cherokee-language/|title=Tri-Council declares State of Emergency for Cherokee language|last=McKie|first=Scott|date=June 27, 2019|work=Cherokee One Feather|access-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629081731/https://www.theonefeather.com/2019/06/tri-council-declares-state-of-emergency-for-cherokee-language/|archive-date=June 29, 2019}} A tally by the three tribes had garnered a list of ~2,100 remaining speakers.
Another similar institution is the Cherokee Immersion School (Tsalagi Tsunadeloquasdi) in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.{{Cite news|url=https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/as-first-students-graduate-cherokee-immersion-program-faces-critical-test/article_bcdc2a5f-43fd-547f-bb1a-278ec24aa0c1.html|title=As first students graduate, Cherokee immersion program faces critical test: Will the language survive?|last=Overall|first=Michael|date=Feb 7, 2018|work=Tulsa World|access-date=May 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514155749/https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/as-first-students-graduate-cherokee-immersion-program-faces-critical-test/article_bcdc2a5f-43fd-547f-bb1a-278ec24aa0c1.html|url-status=live|archive-date=May 14, 2019}}
History and operations
In the 1990s, Cherokee Chief Joyce Dugan oversaw the creation of the Cultural Resources Division of the EBCI. The idea of an immersion school came up as other native peoples worldwide, such as the Māori, Hawaiians, Mohawk, and Piegan, had successfully created their own immersion programs. Later, in April 2004, a preschool immersion program was opened in the Dora Reed Childcare Center;{{cite web |title=Keeping the Cherokee Language Alive: Teaching Children Early On |url=http://visitcherokeenc.com/blog/entry/keeping-the-cherokee-language-alive-teaching-children-early-on/ |website=visitcherokeenc.com |access-date=28 February 2019 |date=2018-01-26}} these children comprised the first kindergarten class when the school opened. Chief Michell Hicks was largely responsible for establishing the academy. Classes had to move between buildings before a $6.5{{nbsp}}million renovation was completed for the current location. This project was funded by the EBCI and a $1.3{{nbsp}}million grant from the Cherokee Preservation Foundation.
The academy is located on the {{convert|309|acre|ha}} site of the former Boundary Tree hotel and resort. New Kituwah opened in its newly remodeled, permanent building on September{{nbsp}}8, 2009,{{cite web |last1=Murphy |first1=Jami |title=New Kituwah Academy finds its home |url=https://www.cherokeephoenix.org/Article/index/4138 |publisher=Cherokee Phoenix |access-date=28 February 2019 |date=2010-10-19}} and the school held its grand opening ceremony on October 7, 2009.{{cite web |last1=McKie |first1=Scott |title=New Kituwah Academy officially opens |url=https://theonefeather.com/2009/10/new-kituwah-academy-officiallyopens/ |publisher=Cherokee One Feather |access-date=28 February 2019 |date=2009-10-13}}
Cherokee language instruction is a feature of New Kituwah,{{cite web |last1=Wood |first1=Colman |title=Keepers of the Flame: Reigniting the Cherokee Language and Culture |url=https://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/people/keepers-of-the-flame-reigniting-the-cherokee-language-and-culture/3/ |publisher=Blue Ridge Outdoors |access-date=28 February 2019 |date=2011-04-04}} and inside the school is a prominent sign that states "English stops here."{{cite web |last1=Sauceman |first1=Fred |title=Immersion School Works to Save the Cherokee Language |url=https://www.ourstate.com/cheerokee-language-atse-kituwah-academy/ |publisher=Our State Magazine |access-date=28 February 2019 |date=May 13, 2015}}{{cite web |last1=Washburn |first1=Mark |title=Film captures dying language in NC |url=https://www.charlotteobserver.com/entertainment/tv/media-scene-blog/article17626994.html |publisher=The Charlotte Observer |access-date=28 February 2019 |date=2015-04-07}} But to meet North Carolina's education standards, the school also begins to introduce English to students in the later grades.{{cite web |last1=Valle |first1=José |title=Minding their tongue: Cherokees work to keep their native language alive |url=http://mediahub.unc.edu/minding-tongue-cherokees-work-keep-native-language-alive/ |publisher=UNC Media Hub |access-date=28 February 2019 |date=2018-05-03}} Similar to many other indigenous languages, there are few living fluent speakers of Cherokee, so many of the school's instructors are not fluent themselves.
As of 2019, after 15 years of operations, the school has not yet produced a fluent speaker.{{Cite news|url=https://www.wunc.org/post/north-carolina-cherokee-say-race-save-their-language-marathon|title=North Carolina Cherokee Say The Race To Save Their Language Is A Marathon|last=Schlemmer|first=Liz|date=October 28, 2018|work=North Carolina Public Radio|access-date=May 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514152003/https://www.wunc.org/post/north-carolina-cherokee-say-race-save-their-language-marathon|archive-date=May 14, 2019}} The school was featured in the 2014 documentary First Language: The Race to Save Cherokee, which focuses on the dialect of Cherokee spoken in North Carolina,{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9y8fDOLsO4|title=First Language - The Race to Save Cherokee|website=YouTube}} and was also the focus of an undergraduate honors thesis project in 2017.Albee, Elizabeth, "[https://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3108&context=utk_chanhonoproj Immersion Schools and Language Learning: A Review of Cherokee Language Revitalization Efforts among the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians]" (2017). University of Tennessee Honors Thesis Projects.
Tribal elder Myrtle Driver Johnson, who was given the title of Beloved Woman by the EBCI and is fluent, has been an active volunteer translator for the school.{{Cite news|url=https://www.smokymountainnews.com/archives/item/25547-cherokee-from-the-heart-beloved-woman-reflects-on-a-wandering-life-rooted-in-cherokee-language|title=Cherokee from the heart: Beloved Woman reflects on a wandering life rooted in Cherokee language|last=Kays|first=Holly|date=Sep 19, 2018|work=Smoky Mountain News|access-date=May 14, 2019}} For New Kituwah, Johnson translated E. B. White's Charlotte's Web; one copy was given to the White estate and New Kituwah kept 200 books.{{cite web |last1=Neal |first1=Dale |title=Beloved children's book translated into Cherokee |url=https://www.citizen-times.com/story/life/2016/05/26/beloved-childrens-book-translated-into-cherokee/84588624/ |publisher=Asheville Citizen Times |access-date=28 February 2019 |date=2016-05-26}} Other posters and materials in Cherokee are designed by local artists and printed nearby.
New Kituwah was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in January 2015.
In 2020, the Atlanta Braves released a shirt with the text {{langx|chr|ᎠᏁᏦᎥᏍᎩ|translit=anetsovsgi|lit=ball player|label=none}} to "help bring awareness to the native language" with the proceeds going to Kituwah and the Cherokee Speakers Council.{{cite web |title=Atlanta Braves and the Native American Community |url=https://www.mlb.com/braves/community/native-american-community |website=Atlanta Braves |access-date=14 December 2020 |date=2020}}
References
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External links
- [https://ebcikpep.com/ Kituwah Preservation and Education Program official site]
- [https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Community/Kituwah-Preservation-Education-Program-175728745804812/ Kituwah Preservation and Education Program official Facebook page]
{{Cherokee}}
__NOTOC__
Category:Cherokee, North Carolina
Category:Schools in Swain County, North Carolina
Category:Educational institutions established in 2004
Category:Native American language revitalization