"Of the 300-plus languages indigenous to what are now the United States and Canada, nearly a third have disappeared. Only about a quarter of those that survive are being passed on to children. [Without intervention] all of these languages will fall silent within the next few decades. "

"Reclaiming Indigenous Languages," Teresa L. McCarty and Lucille J. Watahomigie

IN CONTEXT

Working for "The Other"
by Francis P. McManamon

 Preservation on the Reservation--Revisited by C. Timothy McKeown

Federal legislation--and a resurgent sense of identity--have brought native groups a greater role in preserving their heritage.

 A Decade of Change by Al Downer

How Native Americans have become enfranchised as stewards of their past and keepers of their future.

 A Show of Commitment by Rose Kluth

From the start, Minnesota's Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe built a preservation program with roots in the community.

 Essence of Identity, Symbol of Survival by Rosita Worl

The survival of subsistence cultures is remarkable given the continuing conflict between developers and traditionalists.

 Traditional Roots, Modern Preservation by James Nason

As in the Euro-American tradition, native peoples have always had sanctuaries for their past. And like their western counterparts, these institutions are evolving with the times.

 Masked Hazard by Jessica Johnson

When the Peabody Museum found three sacred masks contaminated with arsenic, a warning signal went out to all those involved with repatriation.

 Reclaiming Indigenous Languages by Teresa L. McCarty and Lucille J. Watahomigie

Native groups are going to inspiring lengths to save disappearing languages.

 Return of a Language by William H. Wilson

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park hosts one of the most successful language comebacks.