What is Tsalagi?

Tsalagi is an native American language with an innovative written syllabary. 22,000 people speak Tsalagi today, primarily in Oklahoma and North Carolina. Though it is one of the healthier native languages of North America and the one in which the most literature has been published. Tsalagi is still in imperiled condition because of government policies as late as the fifties which enforced the removal of Tsalagi (Cherokee) children from Tsalagi-speaking homes, reducing the number of children being raised bilingually from 75% to less than 5% today. The official name of the Tsalagi (Cherokee) language is called (Tsalagi Gawonihisdi.)

The word "Cherokee" is actually a Creek word for “people with another language. “ The tribal name in Tsalagi sylibary is spelled and pronounced (tsa) (la) (I)

More Info: www.native-languages.org

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9 Comments

Larry Jones

I am continually appalled by how much the U. S. government has intruded on the lives of the Native American population.

Grace Bowman-Tuttle

Actually, Cherokee is taught at Northeastern Oklahoma University, which was formally the Cherokee Seminary.

hector tubens

Good Q & A

George Oliver Prince

Studied it in Tennessee history

Fred Zeb Fudpucker

I read it is the Cherokee word for Cherokee. Seems reasonable, too.

Chandran David

Throughout the world natives/ aborigines/locals are the victims in respect of language, culture, food etc by immigrants. The action of the American government reminds me of Australian whites’ action of snatching away the children at a very tender age of native aborigines to keep whites only policy and wipe out the race .

Linda Carr

And if you Go to Talhequah, Oklahoma all the street signs are in the Cherokee language as well as English... The Civilized Indian Museum is just down the road in Muskogee at Honor Heights Park , Next to the VA hospital...Well worth a trip if you enjoy Indian history and artifacts.....