Chickasaw Nation Partners With Rosetta Stone To Save Language

The Chickasaw Nation has joined with the popular language learning software creator Rosetta Stone for a project designed to revitalize the language with tens of thousands of tribal members.

The plan was first announced by the Governor of the Chickasaw Nation, Bill Anoatubby, back in October.

The new educational tool is being developed exclusively for the tribe and will feature 80 lessons, created together by Rosetta Stone and Chickasaw members. The project is expected to take two years to complete.

"It is essential to revitalize our Chickasaw language and preserve it for future generations, because so much of our culture is bound up in the knowledge of our language," said Anoatubby.

The Chickasaw Nation is the 12th largest federally recognized native tribe, with an enrollment of more than 60,000 tribal members. Which makes the project all the more urgent, considering the fact that fewer than 50 tribal members speak the Chickasaw language, according to the Director of the Chickasaw Nation Revitalization Program, Joshua Hinson.

The first 40 lessons in the program are expected to be delivered by the fall of 2016.

The Chickasaw Nation tribal headquarters is located in Ada, Oklahoma.