Catawba Indian Nation

The Catawba Indian Nation will preserve and revitalize endangered Catawba cultural histories and language by collecting, preserving, and sharing oral interviews from 10 Catawba elders, artisans, and active community members and creating an online curriculum focused on the Catawba language. Almost all historical information regarding Catawbas have been written by non-Catawbas. By allowing tribal members to speak for themselves, community voices and the voices of future generations will be empowered. In addition, the Catawba language is no longer fluently spoken by anyone within the tribe, but language revitalization has been a community priority for more than 30 years. The interviews and curriculum will provide information regarding family history, traditional arts, Catawba stories, and recent Catawba history as well as help tribal members move from beginners to proficient speakers of the language.