Keeping the Chickasaw Language Current

Lisa Billy

Lisa Billy describes how she enjoys being both a student and a teacher of Chickasaw – “a living language” – to which new words are constantly added to reflect life in the 21st century. The language is fun for children, who like to learn and share with friends. Reflecting on past decades when speaking Chickasaw was forbidden, she notes that today, it pulls our people together in a way nothing else could.

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