The Western Carolina University Cherokee language program produced the book, which is written entirely in the Cherokee language and with no English translation. Representatives of WCU�s Cherokee studies program, the language program and the Cherokee Center (a branch of WCU located on the Qualla Boundary) presented a copy of the book to each of the council�s 12 members on March 5.

�The reception was enthusiastic, and council members actually asked us to autograph the book,� said Hartwell Francis, director of the Cherokee language program, who addressed Tribal Council briefly in the Cherokee language.

Also addressing the Tribal Council were the book�s author, Nannie Taylor, a consultant for the Cherokee language program and a member of the Eastern Band; and the book�s illustrator, Luzene Hill, a 2007 graduate of WCU with a bachelor of fine arts degree and a member of the Eastern Band. Among those in attendance from WCU were Robert Conley, WCU�s Sequoyah Distinguished Professor of Cherokee Studies and a member of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians; Tom Belt, a WCU Cherokee language instructor and a member of the Cherokee Nation; and Roseanna Belt, director of the Cherokee Center and a member of the Eastern Band.

The book will help address a �lack of accessible language learning material in the Cherokee language,� Francis said. Publishing the book without a translation emphasizes the importance of the Cherokee language, which the Cherokee language program and the Eastern Band are focused on revitalizing. �Recognizing the status of the Cherokee language as a full language is very important in this project,� he said.

Marie Junaluska, a Tribal Council member representing the Paint Town community, speaks and writes Cherokee as her first language. While the trend has been a diminishing number of speakers, there is growing interest among community members to learn what they can of the language, Junaluska said. She believes the book and other works like it help the tribe with its language revitalization efforts. �We don�t have very much material out there written in the syllabary, and it�s needed. It will strengthen the language,� she said.

The Cherokee community holds a council to decide how best to rid themselves of Spearfinger. The Tribal Council of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians recently welcomed publication of a new book, produced by Western Carolina University, written entirely in the Cherokee language. Illustration by Luzene Hill. �Spearfinger� tells the story of a monster with skin as hard as rock and a dagger for a right index finger. By changing shapes, she is able to appear before people as their loved ones. Her favorite pastime is eating the livers of young Cherokee. The community holds a council to determine how best to ride themselves of Spearfinger. (An illustration, by Luzene Hill, of the council is above, right.) After they capture her in a pit, Cherokee hunters take aim at her heart, raining arrows on her from above. Her tough skin repels the arrows until finally a chickadee reveals that the monster�s heart is in the soft palm of her hand. Once they have killed her, the Cherokees burn her body, which releases healing songs that the Cherokees remember even today.

The story is a reminder that people and things that appear attractive might actually be harmful to us, and community action often serves as a means to protect ourselves, Francis told the Tribal Council.

�Spearfinger� is the second in a series of seven planned books all written solely in the Cherokee language. The third, �Bear Man,� is set for June publication. The first book, �The Grouchy Old Lady,� was published in fall 2007. The Cherokee Preservation Foundation funds the series.

Hill illustrated the book with works of cut-paper collage. The book is �beautifully bound and nicely done,� Hill said. �As we were working on the book, that was one of the most important things in my mind. I feel as though the children deserve a first-rate book in their own language.�

Copies of the book, appropriate for readers age 9 and up, will go to the school and public libraries on the Qualla Boundary (the traditional homeland of the Cherokees that straddles Swain and Jackson counties), the Cherokee community of Snowbird in Graham County and WCU�s Hunter Library.

The book eventually will be used in the Eastern Band�s language immersion program, although the level and subject matter make it too mature for even the immersion program�s oldest students, who will be kindergartners in the fall. The program is designed to expand by one grade level each school year. The book also serves to raise awareness of WCU�s Cherokee Language Elementary Education Scholarship. Students receiving the scholarship are trained to deliver content in the Cherokee language in elementary immersion classrooms.

For more information about �Spearfinger� and WCU�s Cherokee language program, contact Hartwell Francis at (828) 227-2303 or [email protected].

(Image provided by WCU.)

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