The Chickasaw Language Committee

Joshua Hinson

The Chickasaw Language Committee was organized in the 1990s and is comprised of fluent speakers appointed by the Governor. The group works to develop new words to describe aspects of modern life not originally represented in the Chickasaw vocabulary. Creating new words is an important function, so Chickasaw continues to be a living language, evolving in the same manner as other languages.

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Reviving the Chickasaw Language

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Joshua Hinson talks about the efforts to revitalization the Chickasaw language.

Joshua Hinson: Department of Chickasaw Language

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Meet Joshua Hinson, the director of the Chickasaw Nation Department of Language.

Preserving the Language

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Ellen Chapman and Emma McLeod explain that teaching the native language helps to preserve Chickasaw culture and heritage for future generations.

Teaching the Chickasaw Language

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Stanley Smith says the Chickasaw language connects people to their heritage, and is something to be passed down from generation to generation.

Survival of the Chickasaw Language

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Chickasaw is an endangered language, but its chances of survival are much better thanks to the life's work of fluent speaker Catherine Willmond.

Chickasaw as a Living Language

Lisa Billy
Though some Native American languages have been lost, Chickasaw continues to thrive as a living language.