On July 13, 1991, the Cherokee Nation Language and Cultural Preservation Act was signed, providing for the promotion and preservation of Cherokee language, history and culture. The Act formally recognized that the survival of a people is dependent upon their capacity to preserve and protect their culture and language.

In 2001, ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎾᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗ (Tsalagi Tsunadeloquasdi) known as the Cherokee Immersion School was started as a Cherokee language preservation program with 26 students and four staff members. 

Today, the school has grown to well over 100 students in grades pre-K through 8th grade. The curriculum is Oklahoma Department of Education grade level standards but the instruction is taught exclusively in the Cherokee language, both written and spoken. The Sequoyah syllabary is used for all print materials. 

In 2010, the Cherokee Nation accepted the charter of Tsalagi Tsunadeloquasdi making it the first Oklahoma charter school for Cherokee language Immersion and to keep a high standard of curriculum. 

The Immersion School continues to graduate second language Cherokee Speakers. 

In 2022, construction was completed on the new Durbin Feeling Language Center (DFLC), a state-of-the-art school for immersion students in Tahlequah. We have since expanded by opening a second Immersion School in Greasy, with construction started on another in Kenwood, in the northern area of the Reservation. Additionally the Tahlequah school is completing construction on a larger immersion facility to accommodate the growing needs, directly behind the DFLC. 

For more information, please visit the Cherokee Immersion School website or call 918-207-4900.

Updated August 23, 2026