COMMUNITY SPIRIT: THS club promotes Native culture, identity | News
, 2023-01-23 16:00:00,
The Tahlequah High School Native American Heritage Club has been teaching students about their Native American identity for several years.
Cody Vann, a THS Cherokee Language professor, said his main goal is to promote indigenous culture and heritage to both native and non-native people.
“We have over 90% of the Cherokee student population here at our school,” Vann said. “I think about 93% of the students are native overall, so we have a very high Native American population. Most of those students have been so disenfranchised from their Native American culture that they don’t notice it every time they see it, or those things that are very native that they don’t recognize around Tahlequah.”
He said his reason for wanting to include both natives and non-natives is to prevent students from segregating themselves and for his students to respect each other and their respective heritages.
The group has about 35 active students, with 50 enrolled. The club recently had an influx of around 20 during the spring 2023 semester, which Vann attributes to others wanting to get closer to his native identity.
“I think it’s because this community has been yearning for their identity, their indigenous identity, and they haven’t known how to express it. Them [have a desire] get closer to their culture, and come…
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