Steve Pearce: “I rise in support of the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act of 2006 (H.R. 4766). I would like to…”

“I rise in support of the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act of 2006 (H.R. 4766). I would like to congratulate my colleague from New Mexico, Mrs. Wilson, for bringing this issue forward. This is important legislation to preserve the culture and increase fluency in Native American society. Sadly, all across America, Native American languages are in rapid decline; estimates are that there may be only 20 Native American languages remaining by the year 2050. These languages are unique to our country and unique to our history. If we do not preserve them, they will disappear forever. This bill will establish a series of grants to help preserve the language and culture of our Native American people. This will help create programs that will teach our young people of the importance of learning the language of their ancestors and continuing to preserve the history and culture of their people. Finally, the language programs created in this bill are locally based educational programs that will help both children learn and preserve languages in households all across America.”