Zoe Berg, Senior Photographer

“Beginning Cherokee I” is in its first semester, making the course Yale’s first and only Indigenous language course that students can take to count toward their Yale College language requirement. 

Announced by the University last spring, Beginning Cherokee I is an introductory course in Cherokee language and culture taught by Patrick Del Percio, a lecturer of Cherokee language in the linguistics department. The course offers undergraduate students the opportunity to acquire the basics of Cherokee language, culture and history through readings, grammar lessons and guest speakers. 

The Native American Cultural Center has offered extracurricular courses on Indigenous languages in the past through the Yale Native American Language Program; however, an Indigenous American language course has never counted as credit towards Yale College graduation or as a language requirement. 

Mara Gutierrez ’25, co-president of the Native and Indigenous Student Association at Yale, or NISAY, emphasized the unfairness of the previous lack of accredited Indigenous language courses. 

“We have many students at Yale who are Indigenous and should be able to take their language for credit in a class taught at Yale, just like most other students,” Gutierrez said. 

Similar to other undergraduate language courses, “Beginning Cherokee I” meets daily and is structured as a small lecture, with fewer than 18 students enrolled in the class this semester. The semester coursework is split between readings, grammar and vocabulary quizzes, exams and cultural history. 

The cultural history lessons feature Cherokee language readings, stories and cultural activities throughout the semester, including basket weaving. Matthew Makomenaw, assistant dean of Yale College and director of the NACC, said the class is designed such that students, even when they leave home, have access to learn about their language and culture. 

Students and faculty established the NACC’s extracurricular language initiative in 2015 to offer undergraduates the chance to learn Indigenous languages outside of Yale’s curriculum, and the program began offering Cherokee in spring 2021. In addition to Cherokee, other offered languages have included Díne, Ojibwe, Mohegan, Mohawk, Hawaiian, Chickasaw, Cheyenne and Western Shoshone. 

Truman Pipestem ’24, co-president of NISAY, told the News that the lack of accreditation makes it difficult to continue to explore Indigenous languages. While Cherokee has been taught through the Yale Native American Language Program in biweekly virtual lectures to students interested, Truman told the News he found it difficult to devote time to an extra class outside of his regular coursework. 

“I could only learn Cherokee for as long as it did not interfere with my other classwork and extracurricular responsibilities,” he said. “That made independent memorization and practice unfeasible.” 

The NACC’s website states under the Native American Language Program that “students may soon receive a language credit from Yale College.”

Gutierrez highlighted to the News years of work and advocacy by Indigenous students to achieve   credited Indigenous language classes, which she feels influenced Yale’s decision to create the accredited Cherokee class. 

“Previous Indigenous students have been working for years to have an Indigenous language taught at Yale, so I am very happy to finally see it come to fruition,” Gutierrez said. 

Additional Indigenous language programs have not been confirmed, though several students told the News they hope that Cherokee I will be the first of many Indigenous language courses in the future. Gutierrez said one day, she hopes a Diné student will be able to take Diné Bizaad for credit at Yale. 

As global language diversity continues to decline, Indigenous languages are particularly vulnerable to extinction. 

“The challenge for Native communities is language, and language vitalization,” Makomenaw said. 

Beginning Cherokee I meets Monday to Friday from 2:30 p.m. to 3:20 p.m. in the Humanities Quadrangle.