The Next Chapter of My Chickasaw Language Journey

For almost a year, I disappeared from public view.

If you've followed my Chickasaw language journey for a while, you may have wondered where I went.

The truth is that life became very difficult.

We lost a really close family member, and in the months that followed, we experienced several more losses. By December, my family and I were facing the difficult decision of moving my mother into a nursing home.

It was one of the hardest seasons of my life.

I knew I wasn't going to be able to prepare for upcoming live classes the way I needed to. I needed time to grieve. I needed time to support my family. And I needed permission to step away for a while.

So that's what I did.

Sometimes stepping away is part of the journey.

When we're in the middle of difficult seasons, it's easy to feel like we're falling behind.

But looking back, I can see that stepping away publicly didn't mean I had stopped moving forward.

Even though I wasn't visible online, I was still working.

And during that quiet season, something significant happened.

God was helping me through the difficulty while also giving me clarity and direction.

Sometimes we gain a kind of clarity during difficult times that we don't necessarily have when everything is going well.

For me, that clarity helped me see the bigger picture of my Chickasaw language journey.

Completing a 14-year project

While I was away from public view, I returned to a massive project that had been years in the making.

After over 14 years of research and more than a decade of teaching live classes, I finally completed what has become essentially my life's work:

Zero to Hero Chickasaw Grammar Essentials.

Completing the entire program was a huge milestone for me.

But I don't see it as the end of the story.

I see it as part of a much bigger story.

The course represents decades of learning, questioning, researching, teaching, creating, and trying to make Chickasaw grammar easier for other people to understand.

And now, that work is available to you.

My Chickasaw journey began when I was five

My love for learning Chickasaw didn't begin with an online course.

It began when I was a little girl.

When I was around five years old, my dad told me that I needed to learn my language.

Learning Chickasaw wasn't easy back in the 1970s.

The language was primarily something we learned through speaking, and the resources available to learners were limited.

But as new resources became available, each one helped me take another step.

Over the years, I talked with Chickasaw speakers, researched grammar, asked questions, studied,

and eventually began teaching online.

One step led to another.

And looking back now, I can see that all of those steps were connected.

Making Chickasaw grammar easier to understand

One of the things I've cared about throughout my teaching journey is helping people understand Chickasaw grammar without feeling overwhelmed by it.

That's one of the reasons I poured so much time and energy into Zero to Hero Chickasaw Grammar Essentials.

The self-paced program gives students opportunities to read stories, complete activities, work through translation projects, interact with other students, and participate in live Q&A opportunities.

I've also included material that I never had the opportunity to cover in my live classes.

The goal isn't simply to give you more information.

It's to help you understand how the language works so that you can continue building your skills with greater confidence.

If learning Chickasaw grammar has ever felt confusing or overwhelming, I invite you to explore the course and see whether it might be a good fit for your learning journey.

Explore Zero to Hero Chickasaw Grammar Essentials at Chickasaw Online Language Arts

But the grammar course isn't the end

Finishing the course has actually opened the door to something I've wanted to do for a very long time.

I've always wanted to write songs and sing in Chickasaw.

You may remember the Christmas song I published a few years ago. That was an important milestone for me, because it allowed me to combine two things I love: Chickasaw language and music.

But I have many more songs waiting to be produced.

And that's only part of what's ahead.

I have additional Chickasaw language projects waiting in the queue, as well as manuscripts and other works that I hope to publish.

There are ideas I've carried for years that are finally beginning to have a place in the larger picture.

Looking back, I can see one long path

Sometimes, when you're in the middle of a journey, you can't see where it's going.

There were times when I questioned why I was sacrificing other things to put so much of my energy into Chickasaw language work.

I wondered whether it would ever amount to anything.

But when I look back over five decades, I see something different.

I see thousands of hours of study.

I see published books.

I see hundreds of hours of teaching.

I see students who are now speakers.

I see stories that have been written and completed courses.

And I see one long, connected path.

Even though my dad passed away in 2001, I often think about what he would think if he could see this journey now.

He was the one who told me, when I was a little girl, that I needed to learn my language.

I think he would be excited about how far we've come.

The next chapter

So, what's next?

I don't have every detail mapped out publicly yet.

But there are many things happening behind the scenes.

There are songs I want to produce.

There are books and manuscripts waiting to be shared.

There are Chickasaw language projects I want to bring to life.

And there are still many things I want to create.

Completing Zero to Hero Chickasaw Grammar Essentials gave me the opportunity to look back at everything that brought me here - and then look forward.

This isn't the end of my Chickasaw language journey.

It's the next chapter.

And if you're learning Chickasaw, reconnecting with your heritage, teaching others, or simply cheering on the work of language revitalization, I hope you'll come along with me.

There is still so much to learn.

There is still so much to create.

And there is still so much possibility ahead for Chickasaw language, and for all of us who are working to keep it alive.

Chokma'shki (thank you) for being here.

I hope you'll join me for the next chapter. Chipisala'cho!

Fani' Iskanno'si' (Sherrie Begay)

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