Title
A JOINT COUNCIL RESOLUTION REQUESTING ASSISTANCE FOR THE TRANSLATION OF MORAVIAN DOCUMENTS PERTAINING TO THE CHEROKEE PEOPLE
Body
the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the Cherokee Nation have exercised the sovereign rights of self-governance on behalf of the Cherokee People since time immemorial; and
both Tribes have a vested interest in preserving our Cherokee culture and learning more about our Cherokee history, and;
the Moravian Church was the first church to establish a permanent mission site among the Cherokee people in 1801, and their missionaries had extensive interaction with the Cherokee people; and
these missionaries wrote journals and letters concerning their experiences and reflections on our Cherokee ancestors' life ways, and these early documents were written in Archaic German script which was outlawed in the 1930's. and there are fenA people today that can read this script; and
both Tribes would benefit from the historical knowledge and information contained within these collections, which number in the tens of thousands: and
WHEREAS, the Cherokee Nation has pledged $25.000 per year for the next five years to finance the translation of these documents by the Moravian Church archivist and archivist's assistant; and
WHEREAS, the Moravian Archives has pledged to devote at least 32 hours per week to the translation of the documents, and prepare them for publication. there is a need for an additional $25.000 per year for the next five years to cover these costs; and
WHEREAS, these documents will be prepared and presented for publication and use by the Cherokee people, historians, and interested parties to gain a better understanding of Cherokee history and culture during the period the Moravian Church had contact with our Cherokee ancestors; and
WHEREAS, the Eastern Band is devoted to obtaining the information contained within these documents and desires to assist the Moravian Church in obtaining adequate funding for the completion of these ...
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