Cherokee choir in Macy's parade

Cherokee National Youth Choir wins NAMMY, Macy's Parade spotThis year, the choir has been invited to participate in the 2007 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The group will ride on a float called "Bountiful Harvest" and perform along the parade route. They will stop at Harold's Square for a one-minute televised performance to be broadcast live on NBC.

"It is such an honor to be a part of this historic event in New York City," Henderson said.The choir's background:The choir--55 Cherokee students between the ages of 12 and 17 from throughout the tribe's 14-county jurisdiction in northeastern Oklahoma--was originally organized in 2000 as a means of generating interest in Cherokee language revitalization. New choir members are chosen each January by audition. They do not have to be fluent Cherokee speakers to participate. The overall goal of the youth choir is to enhance language skills.

Many of the songs performed by the choir were translated years ago and have been enjoyed by generations of Cherokee speakers. A team of translators from the tribe's Sequoyah Language Immersion program, including Native speakers and language instructors, translates the songs performed by the choir. The team includes Anna Huckabee, Dennis Six Killer, Bobbie Gale Smith and Kathy Sierra, a fluent speaker of Cherokee and the choir's coordinator.