Dusty Johnson: “Greetings, my relative, in Lakota is ``How mitakuye.'' I am honored to join the chairman, my colleague from Arizona, to…”

“Greetings, my relative, in Lakota is ``How mitakuye.'' I am honored to join the chairman, my colleague from Arizona, to usher this important legislation through the House after its passage through the Senate. Now, South Dakota and Arizona both have rich Native American history and culture, and we are here tonight to celebrate, to cherish, and, yes, to sustain that culture. The Esther Martinez Native American Languages Programs Reauthorization Act was introduced in 2006 by my friend Heather Wilson, who was a Congresswoman from New Mexico before she moved to South Dakota. This reauthorization of her bill will empower Native American Tribes to continue teaching languages like Lakota and Dakota to future generations. Let there be no mistake. There is pressing need for this work. Fewer than 1 percent of Lakota and Dakota Native Americans are fluent in either of those languages. That means there are just 2,000 Lakota and Dakota fluent speakers in the world. We are losing those speakers too quickly because of old age, and their ranks have declined by 65 percent in the last 15 years. Unfortunately, it is not just Lakota and Dakota that are threatened. There are 175 Native languages spoken in this country today, and there are estimates that, 30 years from now, fewer than 20 will be spoken. Why does this matter? Why do we care? Why are we gathered here tonight for such a just cause? It is because, Mr.…”