"I speak a little Cherokee." It's intimidating introducing yourself to a roomful of strangers with words that seem to bunch up in your mouth, rather than trip off your tongue, but everyone was game.

John Standingdeer Jr. grew up on the Qualla Boundary, proud of his people and their past. He learned to play stickball as a kid and became a cultural ambassador dancing with the Warriors of AniKituhwa ...

The Cherokee Nation has launched another effort to keep its language alive. The tribe is working with Microsoft to have the Cherokee language available for spreadsheets or Power Point presentations.