Personal Narrative: Chikashshanompa

“Chokka-chaffa' chokma” means “Hello my family”. This phrase comes from one of the world’s exceedingly endangered languages, Chikashshanompa’, the language of my ancestors. When I was young my family and I would travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma to visit Great Papa and Great Mama, my great-grandparents. While my memories of the majority of the trips are foggy from my young age, I still have one distinct and clear memory of one of these visits. While sitting on Great Papa’s lap, I was playing with an aged wooden airplane painted red with “NR1313” in white on the wing. He was speaking in Chikashshanompa’, and while I couldn't understand the meaning of the sounds I was hearing, I still felt the comfort and security they gave me. Great Papa was not full-blooded Chickasaw but grew up immersed in the Chickasaw culture and language - an opportunity awfully few have anymore. Today, only 70 people in the entire world are fluent in Chikashshanompa’, putting it on the critically endangered list of languages by UNESCO. Although many may never hear the language of my ancestors spoken out loud, I will still be able to hold onto the memory of Great Papa and his calming words while I sat on his lap. Preserving the countless unique cultures around the world may seem a daunting task, but it is unquestionably a cause worth fighting for and one …show more content…
However, many people may not realize that our heritage might be important in the sense that it has an undeniable impact on our thought, behavior, and life. Everyone’s unique heritage and culture is what inspires the world and leads to advancements, but is also cruelly twisted into a distinction for separation and exclusion. Throughout my life, I have grown and learned to take pride in my heritage. This pride in one’s heritage and what makes them special is a fantastic attitude, but no one culture or ancestry is superior to another, and frequently the world forgets