By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
CHEROKEE, N.C. – I have known Micah Swimmer for years, and one thing that has always impressed me about him is his hope surrounding Cherokee culture and language. Whenever I see him at events, he is always sharing and educating.
Micah, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) from Aniwodihi (Painttown), has worked previously at New Kituwah Academy as the adult language and education coordinator, and he presently works for the EBCI Human Resources Division as the Cherokee language and education coordinator. He also serves as the Aniwodihi (Painttown) Rep. for the Cherokee School Board.
Micah Swimmer, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians from Aniwodihi (Painttown), is shown singing for the Aniyvwiyahi Dancers, a youth group he oversees, at the Kituwah Celebration on June 9, 2025. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photo)
In 2017, Micah, a Cherokee second language learner, received a master’s in Indigenous studies degree from the University of Kansas (KU) College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. At that time, he was quoted in the KU Facebook page, “Working in some capacity with my language has been a lifelong dream of mine.”
In 2008, he received a bachelor of arts degree in American Indian studies from Haskell Indian Nations University.
Several years ago, I interviewed Micah for an article on the language, and he stressed the importance of language learning and listening to fluent speakers. “Once it’s gone, it’s gone. You’re going to have recordings, you’re going to have words written down on paper, but you’re not going to have the flow of the language anymore.
It’s like smoke. You see it for just that second and then it’s gone forever. That’s how it is. That’s how the language is. When they’re sitting there speaking Cherokee, if there’s not a recorder there, there needs to be because they might bring up an old word that no one has used in a long time. And, it’s there for a second and then it’s gone.”
At that time, he also said, “If everyone will learn just a word a day and begin working on phrases, then there is hope.”
Micah was one of the people selected to represent the EBCI on the 2019 Remember the Removal Ride which is a bicycle ride from New Echota, Ga. to Tahlequah, Okla. retracing the northern route of the Trail of Tears – a journey which gave him the opportunity to learn more about tribal history.
According to the University of Tennessee, Micah “led the university’s first-ever course that centered Cherokee language instruction within a broader discussion of contemporary Cherokee culture”.
He currently oversees the Aniyvwiyahi Dancers which is a Cherokee youth group who perform traditional Cherokee dances at various events – a role that gives him the opportunity to pass knowledge about culture, language, and culture to the next generation.
All of these things culminate in a man who is passionate about sharing his culture and passionate about keeping it going in his homelands.
