Growing up, Virgil Walker exclusively spoke Chickasaw Language – until he started kindergarten and had to learn English. "It was pretty hard to speak their language, and kind of hard to understand," says Virgil. "We had to quit speaking Chickasaw Language."

Many years later, Virgil decided to deepen his connection to Chickashshanompa' through resources offered by the Chickasaw Nation. "I'm picking up a lot of words from years ago where I was losing it," he says.

For Virgil, the future of Chickasaw Language looks bright. Through language classes and other Chickasaw Nation resources, "There's a lot of kids right now that can speak, talk to you in the Chickasaw Language ...I hope the younger people take over and keep on going."