Evelyn James of Hugo, Oklahoma was recently recgonized as the First Language Speaker of the Month by the Choctaw Tribal Council.
James is the daughter of Anderson and Francis James, who spoke both Choctaw and English.
James and her only living sister sing together with the District 8 Choctaw Singers. James has three children, 20 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
“It is with great pleasure that I am still able to speak Choctaw with my sister, other tribal member and my Councilman, Perry Thompson,”said James.