On the recordJuly 21, 2022
Mr. Speaker, 175 native languages are spoken in this country today, and they are threatened. Without preservation efforts, by the year 2050 there will be fewer than 20 spoken. Now, for best fluency, you really should start language education by the age of 10. And luckily, that is what Pine Ridge's, Thunder Valley CDC, and the rural grant initiative are doing. They are using dollars from the Esther Martinez Native Languages Program, which we have funded, to teach Lakota to the youngest students. It is incredibly powerful. Mr. Speaker, language is the lifeblood of culture, and I am so proud that these two programs are working hard in South Dakota to preserve language and culture. ____________________
