Gray humbled by Cherokee Nation roots

DENVER — Rockies pitcher Jon Gray’s grandfather, who is of Cherokee descent, had some fun teaching Gray a few basics of the Native American tribe’s language, like frequently used words and animal names.

“He’s always been kind of a goofball — he’ll throw Spanish, Cherokee and English together, thinks it’s pretty funny,” Gray said.

But Gray knows there is sadness. By the time he arrived at the University of Oklahoma and took classes in Cherokee as part of his multidisciplinary studies major, he learned that the language is disappearing.

Had Gray not become a Major League pitcher — one who owns the Rockies’ rookie strikeouts record (142) — he said his dream was to seek employment with the Cherokee Nation.

“I’m just one-eighth — not very much, but I feel like it’s pretty unique to be a Cherokee citizen,” Gray said. “To do something really good, being a Cherokee, is really important. If I’d worked for the Cherokee Nation, I would have made sure our identity was still there.

“I know lately, they’ve been cutting the budgets on language classes. The kids go to these Cherokee schools and they have signs in front of them that say, ‘No English beyond this point.’ So they grow up speaking Cherokee, and start speaking English in the fifth, sixth grade. But I’d make sure that everyone would be able to talk the language.”

Not wanting to overstate a connection and be disrespectful, Gray, 24, said he hasn’t spoken much about his Cherokee roots. The closest to an outward sign is the shield, tattooed to the left side of his chest, featuring the names of the Five Civilized Tribes — Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muskogee Creek and Seminole. He noted that his Twitter handle, …

continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com