Meet Roy Boney, the host of the @NativeLangsTech Twitter account for May 16-22

Photo provided by Roy Boney.

In 2019 as part of a social media campaign to celebrate linguistic diversity online, Native American and First Nations language activists and advocates will be taking turns managing the @NativeLangsTech Twitter account to share their experiences with the revitalization and promotion of African languages. This profile post is about Roy Boney (@royboney) and what he plans to discuss during his week as host.

Rising Voices: Please tell us about yourself.

My Cherokee name is ᎧᏂᎦ ᎪᎳᎭ (Kaniga Kolaha). I am a second language learner of Cherokee and love art and technology. I am the Cherokee Language Program Manager for Cherokee Nation Education Services.

RV: What is the current status of your language on the internet and offline?

The Cherokee language is supported by iOS, Android, Mac OS, Windows, Google Search, Google Maps, and Gmail. You can use our language on all the social media platforms, too. There are approximately 2,000 fluent Cherokee speakers still living.

RV: On what topics do you plan to focus during the week that you’ll manage the @NativeLangsTech Twitter account?

I will highlight the various language revitalization efforts at Cherokee Nation such as our online classes, Immersion School, Master Apprentice Program, and community programs with a focus on tech.

RV: What are the main motivations for your digital activism for your language? What are your hopes and dreams for your language?

I grew up in a family of first language Cherokee speakers. Many of those family members have passed away and I see the effect their loss is having on our community. I want to hear our language spoken everyday again by all ages in our community.

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