Dear Edna Chekelelee,

We grew up near the same places—the same types of forests. Your stories help me remember those trees and the sayings people in my hometown had about protecting the Earth. That you would dedicate so much time and love into spreading knowledge about the Cherokee language to the next generations is beautiful. I am of the mindset that language is, in many ways, inseperable from the minds using it. Do you feel an ease of expression when speaking or writing in the Cherokee language? How important is it for children to learn it? Does it excite them?

I like the way you describe the natural moral awareness of pre-Columbian life. In your story “Jesus before Columbus Time” you say that “...God was in our hearts.” How has the colonial process influenced your culture's spiritual practices? Are they merely informed by Western ideas of salvation or are they a blend of multiple practices? I ask this because you outwardly show more respect for nature than would normally be found in a religious setting (at least those I've known).

In my class right now, we're discussing the process of cultural assimilation, colonialism, and ideological imperialism, and, seeing as you were forced to learn the language I've always spoken, I was wondering if you might have more to say on the effects of such systems. What keeps passion for respect and morality (and mortality for that matter) alive after so many terrible incidents of dehumanization?

Thanks so much for your time, and I really enjoyed reading your stories (though I'd rather have heard them, for sure!).

Sincerely,

Edward