SPOKESPERSON MESSAGE: January 2024
ᎣᏏᏲ ᏂᎦᏛ osiyo nigad! (hello, everyone!),
ᎤᎵᎮᎵᏍᏗ ᎢᏤ ᎠᏕᏘᏱᏍᎬᎢ Ulihelisdi itse adetiyisgvi! (Happy New Year!)
We are looking forward to a great year filled with Cherokee fellowship and events. Please come join us in community and get involved!
We have a special collaboration event coming up on Saturday, January 20th at 9 am! We're teaming up with our Colorado Cherokee Circle community for a virtual presentation to hear about the history of Cherokee Freedmen, an important part of our Cherokee History and culture.
On Saturday, February 3rd, please join us to welcome Will Rogers’ great-granddaughter, family representative, and Bakersfield almond farmer, Jennifer Rogers-Etcheverry, to speak about Rogers’ life and legacy as one of our most famous Cherokee Nation citizens. It is not to be missed and we hope to see you there!
Starting in mid February, we will have a Cherokee language intensive course! This will consist of expert instruction from Cherokee Nation language teachers providing virtual lessons and an in-person weekend gathering, planned in early March. All are welcome! Register in advance.
Mark your calendars for our biggest event of the year on Sunday, April 21st: our Cherokee Nation Community & Cultural Outreach Annual Meeting and Chief's Picnic. More info to come soon as well as more events this year!
Annual membership dues cover January 1 through December 31. We respectfully ask you to please renew your membership and update your information to keep our Cherokee community strong! Here’s how to renew and request a name badge for events.
Also in this month’s newsletter, Educational Consultant and CNCV Member Deirdre Fitzgerald provides multiple resources on graduation honors and scholarships for Cherokee citizens. Local author and CNCV Member, Ganel Fenenga, was featured in the December 15th Cherokee Phoenix edition (page 11) and online for her recently completed book about her Cherokee family’s heritage and history.
We’re looking forward to visiting together at these events throughout the year and enoying community, culture, history, and langauge with you!
ᏙᏓᏓᎪᎲᎢ dodadagohvi (until we all meet again),
—Sabrina McKinney
