https://diverseeducation.com/article/196066/
About 300 distinct Indigenous languages flourished among Native American nations before European colonizers set foot in what would become the U.S. Today, only about a third of those languages exist. Of those, about 90% are at risk of becoming extinct by 2050, according to the National Congress of American Indians.
For that reason, Indigenous language scholars have long felt the weight of time on their shoulders as they race to save their languages. But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, that weight felt even heavier.