Cherokee Language Tutoring in Wilmington

"I like being able to give the opportunity [for individuals] to connect to their heritage in a way that probably no one else can," stated Bill Limbacher, Cherokee Language Tutor. Bill offers Cherokee language tutoring and has even tutored descendants of Cherokees who escaped to Clinton County from the Trail of Tears.

Bill attended high school locally and later left town. In 2009, he was motivated by the recession to move back closer to his family.

Prior to this, Bill initially picked up Cherokee after going on vacation in the late 1980s to the Great Smoky Mountains and North Carolina. He purchased a book called, "Beginning Cherokee," and began reading it, drawn to the difficulty of the language. After accumulating more resources, like tapes, CDs, and books, he began teaching the language at the previous For A Song & A Story in 2010.

Bill shared that he is completely self taught and still has more to learn himself. According to Bill, Cherokee is an endangered language with only 1,500 fluent speakers in the USA.

In addition to offering lessons at the music shop, Bill also taught course in the Wilmington College Institute for Lifelong Learning. After the program stopped, he shared that many individuals expressed their desire for its return. Bill recently had take over the program for a brief revitalization under its new name, "Wilmington College Community Seminars." Bill also offers Cherokee lessons to individuals for $20 per hour. He can teach the lessons virtually or in-person.

For a typical tutoring session, Bill will sit down with an individual with Cherokee language books and materials. His goal is to teach the student basic conversation skills, including their name, numbers, and colors.

Bill shared that a challenge to learning the language is that students have to also insert themselves into a different world view. "It's a whole different worldview than the Western view and so trying to learn that worldview while learning the language itself makes it more challenging than learning French or Spanish," stated Bill.

To learn more or begin tutoring, contact Bill at business.wccchamber.com.