iPhone now handles Cherokee

TAHLEQUAH, Okla., Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Members of the Cherokee Nation who have access to iPhones can now enjoy texting in their native language, tribal members say.

The Tulsa (Okla.) World reported Sunday iPhones running iOS 4.1, the latest version of the smartphone's software released last month, support the Cherokee language.

Chad Smith, principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, said Apple's decision to include Cherokee as one of the 40 languages supported by iPhones is important for the tribe's language and its members. About 8,000 people are fluent in Cherokee and more than 200 are literate in the language.

"People might think it's a novelty, but where you can see the importance is when you remember 1822, when the Cherokee written language was developed," he said. "It was also seen as a novelty, but within 10 years 90 percent of Cherokees were literate."

Joseph Erb, an education services group worker for the nation, said the computers are a great way to learn Cherokee within the classroom, but that influence can be limited.

"We have to figure out ways to get the children to stay in the language," he said. "Once you leave these doors, it's all English."

Erb said the Cherokee Nation had already released several iPhone apps before the language support came out, including a Cherokee dictionary and the Cherokee constitution.