Language Is Life

From Hollywood films on the big screen to sacred writing deep within the Earth, Native people are fighting to keep their languages and ways of life alive. Though many of the approximately 170 Native languages spoken across the U.S. remain at risk today, it is a time of hope. A revolutionary effort to revitalize traditional languages is unfolding across Native America and Native innovators are applying 21st-century technologies to save a core element of their culture and inspire future generations. This episode explores the recovery of Passamaquoddy songs recorded over a century ago using a laser-assisted needle, and digital scans of Cherokee writing hidden under graffiti in a Georgia cave. In addition, Manny Wheeler (Navajo) shares his mission to dub Hollywood blockbusters like Star Wars into Navajo. Their successes are changing Native America and the world at large.