Digitizing Cherokee Language and Lifeways

According to Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart (Brave Heart 1998, as cited in Brave Heart, 2011), historical trauma “is defined as cumulative emotional and psychological wounding across generations, including the lifespan, which emanates from massive group trauma” (p. 283). It is considered collective “in that many members of a community view the events as acute losses and experience corresponding trauma reactions' (Evans-Campbell, 2008, p. 320). The events that have led to both historical and intergenerational trauma have resulted in a loss of culture and tribal languages within all Indigenous communities across the nation. Therefore, this solution will have immediate impacts on Cherokee communities, but once fine-tuned and streamlined can be shared with other Indigenous communities, resulting in a greater impact on all Native people from the United States and Canada. For this proposal, the terms American Indian, Indian, Native American, Native, and Indigenous will be used interchangeably. 

Historically, Indigenous lifeways were transmitted orally and visually. Stories were told that were of significance to the seasons, the earth, the animals, and the spirit world. These were repeated consistently during a person's lifetime to instill values and meaning in the circle of life. Indigenous people learned visually also. Life skills were taught visually. Children and youth watched their parents as they built their homes, cooked food, gathered, and hunted. They used games as a way to teach their children life skills. As an outcome of  Indigenous lifeways; physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being is transmitted generationally. Colonization has contributed to the loss of these lifeways that were a part of Indigenous culture since time immemorial. In the last two decades, there have been major efforts to teach the Indigenous languages, so that they will not be lost; however, our fluent speakers are the elders of our tribe, and when they pass along to another world, these Indigenous lifeways, including our languages, will be lost. There has been an effort to revive the lifeways and to use oral and visual methods of transmitting the culture. There is a bigger need to develop a process of preserving the Indigenous lifeways using technology so that it will be preserved and utilized by the next generations. 

We plan to be the first Indigenous organization to successfully implement an online repository of information available in XR platforms (extended reality) and then offer it to other Indigenous groups, ensuring that all tribal cultures can be preserved, not just the Cherokee culture. All of our Indigenous communities are affected by modernization and generations are passing on without transmitting the culture. From 2020 to 2022, the Cherokee Nation has lost a total of 346 fluent Cherokee speakers. This number is huge considering that in 2019 there were only an estimated 2,100-2,200 Cherokee first-language speakers. The Cherokee Nation has a population of over 380,000 tribal citizens. Statistically, with the losses from 2019-2022, this means that less than 0.5% of Cherokee Nation tribal members are first-language speakers. As we lose more speakers, we lose more of our culture.

An online repository will be created to house traditional lifeways. This repository will be supported by uploading videos/interviews/scanned documents and objects into a cloud-based service. All data gathered will be categorized by Artist/Elder name and keywords (baskets, onions, etc…). Any data gathered will be done so by permission only from the artist or elder who are our Cultural Bearers. Waivers will be signed by each participant. This solution will help Indigenous communities retain cultural knowledge and languages as it is spoken by the elders of the tribe. 

Cherokee elders will be interviewed and recorded sharing their traditional stories that are passed down orally instead of written. Traditional objects will be scanned in with a 3D scanner and made available for use in VR environments. Modern Indigenous art forms will also be scanned with a 3D scanner and made available for use in VR environments. Videos will also be available of traditional activities that are not easily described verbally, yet available for use as a part of a curriculum. As the program grows, we will provide training to local schools with high proportions of Indigenous students, on how to implement the cultural pieces into curriculum that meets the State of Oklahoma curriculum standards. 

An AI (Artificial Intelligence) Chat Bot will be programmed and used to give an explanation of how each scanned artifact was used in a historical context. This Chat Bot will also be able to assist with recommendations of stories and other materials based upon the information provided in the request from the archive visitor.

Technology used will include: 3D Scanner, audio recording devices or software, computers, high speed internet, VR platforms, additional software such as Adobe Creative Suite and Zoom, Blendr, Unreal Engine, and VR technology (Quests, etc.).

Within the Cherokee reservation boundaries, approximately 200 Indigenous communities exist. These communities are rural and isolated, with the school often being the center of the community. As a result of the pandemic, from 2020 to 2022, the Cherokee Nation lost approximately 346 fluent speakers and treasures who kept traditional knowledge. This solution assists in not only keeping traditional lifeways for future generations, but also assists in teaching those Indigenous students who live outside the reservation in urban areas about their culture and traditions.

The American Indian Resource Center is an Indigenous led non-profit organization with an all Indigenous board of directors. As previously stated, AIRC is already embedded within the Indigenous community in this area. In the past 5 years, we have partnered with over fifty schools within the Cherokee Nation reservation. During this time, we have established connections that have allowed us to fully understand the needs of Indigenous youth within our community. Through our organization, we have been able to observe and interact with students, documenting their unmet learning needs. Our past experience has been fundamental in helping to develop programming to improve life skills, engaging in pathways that have fostered a healthy social-emotional development.

Recent studies on the effects of culture-based education strategies indicate that Indigenous students in culturally responsive classrooms tend to have “increased socio-emotional well-being, a deeper sense of belonging, and enhanced student motivation” leading to “increased achievement as students begin to feel comfortable in their school environment” (“The Value of Culture-Based Education for Native American Students, 2019, n.p.). Our solution will meet these mental, social, and emotional development needs of Indigenous students by providing a way to incorporate more traditional knowledge into the classroom, leading to Indigenous youth having healthy, happy lives. 

The American Indian Resource Center (AIRC) has worked in schools throughout the Cherokee Nation reservation since its incorporation in 1983, providing teacher training programs, Title VII programs, and other educational programming. Through this programming, AIRC has an established presence on the Cherokee reservation, having collaborated and developed partnerships with the local university, the tribe, and other organizations for the past 40 years. In 2016, AIRC began using virtual reality in their education programming, becoming one of the first organizations in Indian Country to use VR.

The Team Lead and the Sevenstar Emerging Technology (SET) team are representative of these communities because they are Indigenous and live within local tribal communities. Most of the team are active in their communities through volunteerism. AIRC, and specifically the SET team, work closely with schools to understand their needs and engage them for their input to create cultural content that is not otherwise available in the rural, remote communities. The teachers, elders, and other community members are closely involved as they are vital to the creation of the curriculum and content. AIRC has also partnered with the Cherokee Nation tribe, Northeastern State University, and other organizations on other cultural projects, so engagement, input, ideas, and agendas are not an issue.

In addition, the American Indian Resource Center operates Camp Sevenstar out on Lake Tenkiller. This camp is equipped with a low and high ropes course, dormitories, an outdoor classroom, and a state of the art spatial lab. The work being done at Camp Sevenstar solidifies AIRC’s connection to Tahlequah and the surrounding school communities that the organization partners with. 

In 2016, using funding from an Office of Indian Education demonstration program, AIRC created VR lesson plans that met Oklahoma standards. Complete lesson plans for grades K-12 in language arts, science, and math were created, utilizing YouTube 360 videos, which were the limits of the technology at the time. Additional lesson plans featuring college campus virtual tours and ACT prep were also made available for free on the AIRC website.

SET team members have worked with two programs also funded by the Office of Indian Education. The Sevenstar Project served 50 schools in far northeastern Oklahoma while the Native ACE program served six schools in nearby Adair County. Of the schools who received VR headsets, three are K-12 (Cave Springs, Kansas, and Colcord) and the remaining seven are K-8 schools (Peavine, Zion, Dahlonegah, Bell, Rocky Mountain, Leach, and Wickliffe). These schools have a high enrollment of Native American students as well as a high number of Native American teachers.

The VR component was developed for teachers and students to be trained in how to use Engage, a VR application. Teachers were to use Engage to enhance learning in a virtual reality environment. Students were trained on how to use the hand controllers, know what buttons on the controllers to use to interact in the environment, and moving avatars. In Kansas, Colcord, Leach, and Wickliffe schools, the Oculus Quest II headsets were used. In Cave Springs, Peavine, Zion, Dahlonegah, Bell, and Rocky Mountain schools, the VIVE Focus Plus headsets were used. Teachers also received manuals written by SET staff that were customized to each brand of VR headset in their respective schools.

In 2021, two of our SET team members began training the teachers on their professional development day, demonstrating step-by-step instruction on incorporating the headsets into their classrooms. Teachers were trained on safety while using the headsets, having space for the students to be stationary, preventing injury for students that have any motion sickness, sensitivity to flashing lights, etc. The teachers also learned the features of the headset as well as the hand controllers. The teachers were also trained on potential health risks, such as motion sickness or seizures, from students putting on the headset. 

Teachers were able to space themselves accordingly and put on a headset, learning how to use the VR menu and access Engage or the desired application for their class. Teachers were able to set up their own environment for instruction, secure the environment with a password to ensure student safety, and were trained on how to interact with the environment. Teachers were trained on how to maneuver their avatar in the environment, how to use features such as writing with a 3D pen, how to bring 3D objects into the environment, and classroom management, such as seating a student where they cannot move. Teachers were also trained on how it is ideal to have two adults in the room, one adult for conducting the lesson in virtual reality, and the other adult to assist students with technical difficulties, such as controllers not working properly.

Students were trained much like the teachers. Students learned how to put on the headsets, learned the controls, and entered the Engage application and environment. Students could choose whether to work in groups or alone. One of the first activities was that the students were to bring in 3D objects to the environment to tell a story. These objects ranged from animals, people, construction objects, technology objects, to name a few. Students were to present their completed stories to the class in the Engage environment.

Student reaction to the VR training was positive. SET team members began to discover that students often helped each other, and that students grasped the concepts rather quickly and easily were able to complete the activities. Teachers often were not in a headset but observing the classroom, and some teachers have stated that students surprised them.

The best example of this is during a training at Dahlonegah school.  The SET team was conducting student training for the day, and it was the 7th grade class’ turn. The teacher was not in a headset but observing the activity. Two male students told stories that were very creative and used objects in a way that was very unique. They shared their stories out loud, and the teacher was rather impressed as these two students did not speak in class very much and that she had difficulty getting these students to write their stories down on paper.

SET team members also created cultural lessons for use in Engage. One was a simple Cherokee language activity that gave students the opportunity to learn basic Cherokee words while reinforcing their skills in using the VR headsets. The Cherokee Syllabary chart was imported into the environment that allowed for interaction. The chart was placed in one area of the environment and resized to be very large and located where students were able to see it.  The instructor places animals throughout the environment, places a post-it note above the animal, writing the name of the animal in English and the Cherokee phonetic spelling. Students then work together to find the corresponding syllabary character and write it in the environment using the 3D pen.  

For example, a deer is placed in the environment. Above the deer is a post-it note that reads “Deer” and “a-wi (ah-wee).” Nearby is a large version of the Cherokee Syllabary chart. Students learn the Cherokee word for deer and learn how to write the word using the Cherokee Syllabary. They practice pronouncing the Cherokee word for different animals and practice writing the word in the Cherokee Syllabary. This reinforces both the written and spoken Cherokee language. The SET team have also developed similar cultural lessons for mushroom and wild onion gathering. Future cultural activities are being developed.

The SET Team’s solution’s goal is to preserve the Cherokee culture by 3D scanning real artifacts, collecting stories from elders by recording audio or video, and composing traditions to put into an archive. There is equipment we need to make the Cherokee culture digital and preserve it for education purposes by taking Cherokee artifacts and 3D scanning them to put in a virtual classroom. Within this virtual classroom students can interact with this object and not have to worry about breaking it. Also, having audio or video recordings of elders would be ideal to archive. For example, an elder could talk about when they were a child their family would go out into the woods and gather food or look for plants to harvest to make baskets. Seeing or hearing an elder could help students understand that an actual person recounted these traditions in their life. Also, composing traditional stories will help preserve the culture, because Native American tribes are natural oral historians. Having written stories, histories, and life events will provide more outreach to younger generations that do not have the opportunity to be told stories from their elders. With this archive, Cherokee citizens can access this content to use in virtual classrooms to learn about the Cherokee culture. This will be a stepping stone to build more for Cherokee learning, and an opportunity to build another archive with other tribes. 

This is a great opportunity to preserve the language and culture but a few challenges arise with a bit of pushback from some traditionalists that don’t want to use technology. As Indigenous tribes are primarily familistic and are taught from previous generations about traditional values and culture, using technology is not ideal. There was never a need to record any history as elders and mentors would teach the younger generations about the way of life and language, also for children and babies, stories would be told as lessons and warnings. As time progressed these lessons have decreased because of boarding schools and other measures of conforming Indigenous people. In recent years there has been an increase of remembering the language and traditional lifeways. After the pandemic, a lot of elders and traditional keepers have passed away. There are online classes, museums, and Indigenous people demonstrating or teaching small groups traditional crafts, games, and meals. This is helpful in spreading awareness of Indigenous culture, but having these resources in a broad scale would be to collect artifacts, recordings, and the language and archive them digitally. Having this archive will be beneficial for dispersing them correctly into educational curriculum and informative research. 

For preservation, the assistance from SOLVE supporters and partners includes technology such as 3D scanners and software licenses to scan items for import into 3D and VR.  Voice recorders and other digital recording technology are required to obtain traditions, stories, and language from elders.  Access and exposure within technological experts is critical for mentoring and additional training for project staff and for the execution of archival activities. 

Pamela Iron, Team Lead, is a Cherokee citizen who resides in Tahlequah, the capital of the Cherokee Nation and the heart of the Cherokee reservation. Pamela has 47 years’ experience in developing and administering programs for Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations in the field of education, health and social services. She previously was the health director at the Cherokee Nation working for former Chief Mankiller, the first woman chief of a major tribe.

Pamela Iron holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Special Education from Oklahoma State University. In addition, she has participated in post-graduate studies in Educational Counseling-NSU. She has worked in communities across the Cherokee reservation as a health advocate and educator, participating in the lifeways meaningful to herself, her family, and her fellow Cherokee citizens. Pamela is one of the three founders of the National Indian Youth Leadership Project, known for its outdoor experiential education methods to teach life skills to Native youth. She also founded the Indian Health Care Resource Center, in Tulsa and the National Indian Women’s Health Resource Center in Tahlequah. 

Ms. Iron has written curriculum for youth services such as mentoring, Healthy Relationships, and Service Leadership for American Indian youth. She has provided cultural competency workshops to federal agencies and organizations that serve AI/AN. She also provides customized cultural attunement workshops to AI/AN individuals that have little or no knowledge of their tribal history and their cultural practices. She has provided consultant services for over 15 tribes in regard to their management, planning, evaluation and quality improvement.

As Executive Director of AIRC, Pamela has continued her connection to the Cherokee community by fostering community relations and partnerships with the Cherokee Nation, area schools, and other community organizations to provide services to youth through programming funded mostly by the U.S. Department of Education. When she sees a need she works to solve it. She became very interested in Immersive Technology when she saw rural schools being left behind in the technology world. She established the Sevenstar Emerging Technology team (SET) to tackle this need. This team implemented VR in 15 rural schools over the past three years. This has ignited a spark to keep developing methods of providing immersive technology concepts as the industry changes to our native students and their communities. 

The solution provided by AIRC is unique because there is currently not an online repository of Cherokee cultural items and stories. Traditionally, tribal languages, knowledge, and stories are passed down verbally. Westernization of tribal nations along with the loss of a significant portion of our tribal elders due to the pandemic, has created a rift between some Cherokee citizens and traditional Cherokee lifeways. This solution would be a new way for tribes to work towards cultural preservation. It would allow stories from our elders to be recorded so that Cherokee youth could continue to hear these stories as they are told from traditional knowledge keepers. 

In addition, the implementation of an AI (Artificial Intelligence) Chat Bot would be used to give an explanation of how each of the scanned items were used in an historical context.  This Chat Bot will also be able to assist with recommendations of stories and other materials based upon the information provided in the request from the archive visitor. The scope of this solution goes beyond the initial phase. Looking long term, this solution would allow teachers to access information that can be used to teach students in the classroom using different media, enhancing student learning and exposing a generation to their culture before it is completely lost.

The positive impacts from this solution are infinite. Upon creation of this repository, other tribes and cultures could easily replicate this repository for their own traditions and lifeways. Other tribes could also make contributions so that Indigenous culture as a whole is preserved and not lost. Educators would be able to access historically correct information for use in their classrooms to continue to educate students. Students would be able to access information about their culture and heritage in a way they understand: through the use of technology. Videos and audio recordings would make an impact, but it is the 3D virtualization of important artifacts that would allow students to hold and examine a cultural object without fear of damage. Students would also be impacted by learning how to become archivists themselves with training on using a 3D scanner, software, and other technology to preserve cultural knowledge and lifeways.

This solution could change the market because it involves the rapidly improving technology of VR. AIRC began exploring the possibility of integrating VR into education platforms in 2016. Since that time, the SET team has trained teachers and students in the use of VR by integrating cultural activities, such as building a stickball pole and foraging for wild onions and mushrooms. Currently, there are not any real Indigenous cultural items available in virtual reality, and other cultural items and information are not readily available. This solution also allows for the creation of a place where Indigenous information can be made available and shared with anyone no matter where they are located since the closest thing to an Indigenous repository is the Smithsonian Museum of the Native American in Washington D.C.

The Sevenstar Emerging Technology (SET) team vision is to establish a foundation of leadership to empower Indigenous communities to bridge the technological divide. In our vision brainstorming, we identified the need to empower Indigenous people to participate in the digital world. In doing so, they would be able to remain in their rural communities and have access to digital cultural knowledge, while being an active community member in Cherokee lifeways. By having Cherokee people be more active in the digital world, we would also create an online space where Cherokee’s that reside outside of the reservation could access cultural knowledge.

One of our major impact goals is to establish a digital infrastructure of Indigenous cultural knowledge. This network would allow us to connect with schools and partner with museums on the Cherokee reservation and even beyond the reservation area in an effort to preserve Cherokee lifeways and traditional knowledge. 

This impact goal leads towards our solution of creating an online repository of culturally relevant materials, preserving them for future generations by utilizing immersive technology, artificial intelligence, and extended reality. This solution will be a foundational piece of being able to reach our impact goals. In addition, this solution will have a transformative effect on not just Cherokee citizens, but also non-citizens, by creating cultural awareness that will expand well beyond the bounds of the Cherokee reservation. 

There are several technologies used in this solution.  

3D scanning technology is used to scan Cherokee cultural objects and artifacts. This allows for a realistic representation of a cultural item that can be handled and manipulated by students without fear of damage or destruction of an item. This also allows students to learn about cultural items that are not readily available for them to access in a traditional classroom setting.

Unity software, Adobe software, and Unreal Engine software will be used to make the cultural items available for use in different environments. The objects will be processed using several different formats for import into virtual reality, 3D, and other environments. This allows usage of the cultural items in multiple platforms. Video cameras and audio recorders will be used to capture recordings of elders speaking the Cherokee language as well as telling stories and demonstrating cultural traditions.

All cultural items that have been scanned will be stored in a cloud based service. This allows for the objects to be accessed anywhere that there is an internet connection. The service will also allow staff to control who does and who does not have access to the materials, allowing for cultural preservation and excluding those who may misappropriate Native culture. 

An AI (Artificial Intelligence) Chat Bot will be programmed and used to give an explanation of how each item was used in an historical context.  This Chat Bot will also be able to assist with recommendations of stories and other materials based upon the information provided in the request from the archive visitor.

Virtual reality will be used to deliver the cultural lessons and experiences to the students.  Meta Quest 2 headsets are currently being used to access the Engage VR platform to teach students in real-time, no matter where in the world they are located. (Engage VR is currently used due to its security features and adherence to FERPA. Other platforms are being tested and will be included once testing is complete.) 

Sample lesson plans that include Creative Commons licensed images and YouTube videos, will be made available to demonstrate how the cultural materials may be used in the extended reality environment.

Training will also be available using the Canvas learning management system.

Currently, the American Indian Resource Center has an established office in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Tahlequah is the capital of the Cherokee Nation and houses the main complex of tribal government offices. It is also the home of Northeastern State University.

In addition, AIRC operates the Sevenstar Experiential Outdoor Learning Center, also known as Camp Sevenstar, in nearby Park Hill, Oklahoma. Camp Sevenstar features a banquet hall, dining hall, recreational room, two classrooms, a dormitory, three private cabins, a cultural field, an outdoor classroom arbor, an amphitheater, an outdoor classroom, and 10 tent pads. This pristine 260-acre campus, nestled in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains on Lake Tenkiller, has an abundance of wildlife, native plants, beautiful foliage, and the calm water that makes this environment perfect for cultural learning activities. The camp also features a certified ropes course, which includes rope swings, a zip line, and multiple elements of varying difficulty, including a low ropes course.

AIRC has worked with approximately 100 public schools in Adair, Cherokee, Delaware, Mayes, Muskogee, Nowata, Rogers, Sequoyah, and Wagoner counties. These counties are located in northeastern Oklahoma, primarily in the Cherokee Nation reservation. These schools are rural, often remote, and are located within tribal communities. Many of the schools are K-8 and feed into slightly larger rural school districts. Although these schools are located within the jurisdiction of the Cherokee Nation, all but one of these schools are not tribally operated. Sequoyah Indian High School is operated by the Cherokee Nation. However, all of the school districts listed above have a significantly high Native student population. 

N/A - Same as the previous year to our knowledge.

Currently, the Sevenstar Emerging Technology (SET) team has 4 full-time staff. These staff members would be the designated staff to work on this solution team. All four team members assist with virtual reality programming and activities in addition to their normal job duties.

AIRC’s vision for this solution was first developed in 2016. Through the years, as we explored virtual reality and other technologies, it became apparent that we could make the most impact on our youth, families, and Indigenous communities through the preservation of our culture utilizing technology. 

Our team is composed of four females; ages range from late twenties to late seventies. The majority of team members are Native, with one team member being Caucasian. Tribes represented include: Cherokee, Choctaw, Laguna Pueblo, Seminole, United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, and Muscogee Creek. As a group, we offer a breadth of knowledge and represent a variety of backgrounds and perspectives, especially with the differences in generational knowledge. The SET Team encompasses the goals of the SET strategic plan and AIRC, which includes providing a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment.

AIRC has policies and practices which encourage the employment of traditionally underrepresented groups. AIRC currently has 23 full time employees, 21 of which are American Indian. AIRC has nondiscriminatory policies which prohibit any form of employment discrimination. We cultivate a culture of inclusion for all employees that respects their individual strengths, views, and experiences. We believe that our differences enable us to be a better team – one that makes better decisions, drives innovation, and delivers better results.

Key customers and beneficiaries of this project are the Indigenous community, specifically the Cherokee Nation. The preservation of culture has a profound impact on the tribe as a whole, with the ability of other tribes to contribute or learn how to replicate this project for their own use. The revenue that is generated with this project will be re-invested into AIRC programming, allowing for an expansion of current services and creating more culturally relevant materials for technological use. An additional impact is that this project will lead to the creation of additional jobs for Cherokee citizens.

The repository will be accessed with only an internet connection to a secure website that provides cultural information and lifeways to a generation that normally does not have much access to this information due to location, income, or a lack of cultural knowledge and awareness. Step-by-step guides will be available to assist in the downloading and usage of all materials. Training materials and other items will be available to those tribes who wish to replicate the project for themselves.

Currently, there is a major focus by the Cherokee Nation to preserve the Cherokee language. By creating this repository, critical cultural information that is normally passed down to the next generation orally can now be available and preserved using modern technology, a format most people of the current generation are familiar with, and prevent further loss of knowledge.

This solution will be a valuable asset to the Cherokee tribal community, allowing our tribal citizens within and outside of the reservation to be able to have access to Cherokee cultural knowledge and lifeways. This could impact the tribe significantly, increasing cultural awareness, social and emotional learning, and even the physical and mental health of our tribal citizens.

Previously, AIRC has relied on funding from the Office of Indian Education, US Department of Education, for VR activities. Some VR activities and purchases have been included as a part of these programs, but program funding varies and a reasonable budget for specifically VR development is not allowable. Other federal and foundational funding have been researched, but there are very few programs for development. Some funding, such as for the Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies (ExLENT) program, are offered once a year.

SET team members also have received scholarships for foundational skills for VR development. This training is often rather expensive and current budget limitations do not allow for additional training. 

Currently, the financial sustainability plan involves a combination of donations and grants, selling services, and contracts with tribes.

Donations and grants will be used to purchase the necessary equipment to begin data collection and preservation, including voice recorders, video cameras, a 3D scanner, and software. AIRC staff will be able to gather video and recordings of elders speaking of traditions, lifeways, and stories.  

Online learning will be created and made available for a small fee. This online learning will include different modules on the culture that will be made available for teachers to adapt into lesson plans for classroom use. For those tribes who wish to replicate this repository, a contract with a fee and a defined timeline for training will be negotiated. Contracts with tribes to manage their contributions to the repository as well as training for use in VR will also be negotiated.

Partnerships with the Cherokee Nation, Cherokee Nation Career Services, and other Indigenous organizations will be a source of revenue. Partnerships with software companies, technology groups, and other interested entities will also be a source of revenue that will allow for an expansion of services and items to be made available.