OU to celebrate Cherokee language instructor’s retirement

The University of Oklahoma’s Native American Studies Department will host a retirement celebration Thursday for Cherokee language instructor Christine Armer, according to a department press release. Armer has taught the Cherokee language at OU for 20 years.

The event will begin at 2 p.m. in Dale Hall Tower, Room 906. It will feature Cherokee language speakers, a language roundtable with Q&A and reflections from Armer. Raised in a Cherokee-speaking community in Muldrow, Oklahoma, Armer did not speak English until grade school. She later collaborated with Cherokee linguist Durbin Feeling and earned a degree in elementary education from Northeastern State University in 2005. She was recruited to OU to create and teach Cherokee language courses.