"At a primary school in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, the Cherokee Native American nation is fighting hard to keep its ancestral language alive for a new generation.

It is a total immersion programme, with all lessons taught in Cherokee.

Children read and write the language, using a syllabary developed by a self-taught genius named Sequoyah, who brought literacy to the Cherokee in the 19th century.

And a 21st century tool is helping the language of Sequoyah survive: the Askongodeesk—or as we say in English, the laptop computer.

Each kid in the 4th grade classroom I visited was assigned a laptop equipped with a Cherokee keyboard. Like children everywhere, they were busy instantly-messaging each other—in Cherokee.

"They can use iChat and speak in Cherokee or they can converse with one anther in the syllabary on line," says Cherokee Nation's language director, Samantha Benn-Duke. "So, we will be revitalising the language in that manner.""

Get the Story:
The Americas Blog: Saving the language of the Cherokee (Al Jazeera 5/15)

Another Story:
The Americas Blog: Language on the brink (AL Jazeera 5/13)