By BROOKLYN BROWN
One Feather Reporter
CHEROKEE, N.C. – Meona Feather is a second language learner in the Cherokee Language Master Apprentice Program (CLMAP). She has recently began sharing language content on social media and has received positive feedback from the Cherokee community. Feather says her passion for Cherokee language revitalization is tied to her identity as a Cherokee woman, mother, and community member.
Feather, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, began her One Feather interview with an introduction in Cherokee language. “ᏏᏲ ᏂᎦᏓ! ᎤᎩᏓᏟ ᏓᏆᏙ’Ꭰ. ᏔᎵᏍᎪ ᎦᎵᏉᎩ ᎢᏯᏆᏕᏘᏴᏓ. ᎠᎩᏰ ᎨᎮᏍᏗ Jayce ᏩᏯ ᏚᏙ’Ꭰ ᏃᎴ ᏔᎵ ᎢᏯᏂ ᏗᏂᏲᏟ ᏙᎩᏂᎧᎭ. ᎠᎱᎵ ᏃᎴ Ꭺ.Ꮃ ᏚᎾᏙ’Ꭰ. ᏩᏲᎯ ᏦᎨᏅᏒ. ᎠᎩᏥ Cindy Atine ᏃᎴ ᎠᎩᏙᏓ ᏣᏂ ᎤᎩᏓᏟ ᏚᎾᏙ’Ꭰ. ᏓᎩᎸ’Ꭲ Shennelle ᏃᎴ Jatanna ᎤᎩᏓᏟ ᏚᎾᏙ’Ꭰ. CLMAP ᏓᎩᎷᏫᏍᏓᏁᎭ. ᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᎩᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ ᎦᏙᎴᏆᏍᎪ.
Siyo nigada! Ugidatli dagwado. Talsgo galgwog iyagwadetiyvda. Agihye gehesd Jayce Waya dudo nole Tal iyani diniyotli doginikaha. Ahuli nole Kola dunado. Wayohi tsogenvsv. Agitsi Cindy Atine nole agidod Tsan ugidatli dunado. Dagilv’i Shennelle nole Jatanna ugidatli dunado. CLMAP dagiluwisdaneha. Tsalag agiwonihisdi gadolegwasgo.
Hello everybody! My name is Feather. I am twenty-seven years old. My fiance is Jayce Wolfe and he and I have two kids. Drum and Kola are their names. We live in Wolftown. My mom is Cindy Atine and my dad is Jonathon Dane Feather. My sisters are Shennelle and Jatanna Feather. I work in the Cherokee Master Apprentice program. I learn how to speak Cherokee.”
Meona Feather, middle, is showing singing a Cherokee hymn with the Cherokee Language Master Apprentice Program (CLMAP) at the 2026 Cherokee Speakers Memorial Day Event. (BROOKLYN BROWN/One Feather Photo)
Feather began learning Cherokee as a child, visiting fluent speakers with her father. “Wesley Powell helped me when I ran for Little Miss Cherokee, and Ms. Lucetta [Ward] taught me at Cherokee Elementary School. I also remember receiving Cherokee language awards in daycare and in elementary school, but as I got older, I moved schools a couple of times and never heard it anymore. I always knew I wanted to learn but I didn’t know where to start,” she said.
She shared that having children rekindled her fire to learn. “My children’s grandpa was Jonah Wolfe, and he would get on to me and Jayce about learning and that our future kids needed to learn, too. After he passed and we had kids, I knew I wanted to send them to New Kituwah Academy [Cherokee Language Immersion School]. I told myself that I didn’t want my kids to come home and teach me, so that’s why I applied for CLMAP.”
Language learning has inspired Feather to pursue a degree in linguistics, most likely at the University of Tennessee. “I’ve been learning our language for the last year, and I am certain this is what Creator wants me to do, so after I graduate from CLMAP, I plan on getting a linguistics degree so I can bring that back and implement it in my teachings.”
Feather plans to teach Cherokee language soon, either with the Kituwah Education & Preservation Program (KPEP), or Cherokee Central Schools, or wherever she is needed. She is currently planning to teach a community class in February, details to be announced. She is also teaching through social media.
“I started making videos because I realized that there’s not a lot of resources out there to learn the Eastern Band dialect of Cherokee. Cherokee Nation has a lot of resources, but their dialect is different from ours. Even though it’s different, we can still understand each other. I make these beginner videos because there are a lot of people that have never heard our language or had the opportunity to learn. My videos won’t teach somebody how to converse, but at least they’re hearing the language. I feel like hearing it and seeing somebody as young as me, somebody relatable, learning as well will make others more eager to learn,” she said.
“What I want mostly is for people to not be scared to speak our language. Don’t worry about those weird looks people might give you because…
ᎤᏁᏝᏅ ᏍᎩᏁᎸ ᏣᎳᎩ ᎣᎩᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ!
Unetlahv sginelv tsalag ogiwonihisdi.
The Creator gave us our language. It predates American people, so be proud of what you know. I know for as long as I am alive, I will speak and teach Cherokee so it will never die!”
Feather said learning with her kids has been a gift. “Learning beside my kids continues to validate that I made the right choice. Luckily, my kids still have speakers on their dad’s side. Sadly, the last speaker in my family was my great grandma Rebecca, and she passed before I was born, but the fact that my kids and their dad have fluent speakers – I feel like I would be doing a disservice to them by not learning and not teaching my kids,” she said.
“Seeing my little boy pick it up effortlessly tells me that language is innate. It’s in our hearts and our blood. We just have to put in the work to learn it. Speaking to my kids reminds me of when my dad would say the same phrases to me growing up. Those phrases stuck with me forever so I know my kids will remember me talking to them. I hope one day they will teach their kids as well.”
Through social media, Feather has expanded the Cherokee language learning community with hopes that others will continue to pass on what they learn from her.
“I’ve always been told that when somebody shares their knowledge with you, you pass it on to whoever wants to learn. Everybody has to start somewhere, and if my videos are where somebody starts, then I am happy.”
Feather added in Cherokee, “ᎤᏙᎯᏳ ᎦᎵᎡᎵᏤ ᎠᏆᏙᎴᏆᏍᏗ ᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᎩᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ. ᏣᎳᎩ ᏥᏬᏂᏍᎨᏍᏗ ᎢᎪᎯᏓ.
Udohiyu galielitse agwadolegwasdi tsalag agiwonihisdi. Tsalagi tsiwonisgesdi igohida.
I am very thankful to learn how to speak Cherokee. I will speak Cherokee forever.”
You can follow Meona Feather on Facebook or @ugidatli33 on TikTok for language content.
