"Why Save a Language" (2006)

Directed by Sally Thompson More than half of the 300 indigenous languages of North America are now extinct. But a movement by Native peoples to resurrect and preserve these languages is thriving in many places around the continent. In this film, Native people from various tribes and languages discuss the heart wrenching loss of indigenous languages, and the importance of keeping what remains alive. An important film for any interested in linguistics, saving Native American Indian languages, and saving global languages. For those interested in linguistics, endangered native languages, and Native American issues will find this short film valuable and educational. Language represented here are: Kainai (Blackfeet), Cuyuse- Walla Walla, Pikuni (Blackfeet), Lakota, Osage, Hidatsa, Yakama, Mandan - Hidatsa, Cayuse-Nez Perce, Couer d'Alene, Elwha Klallam, Mandan, and Wasco, to name just a few. ABOUT THE FILMMAKER Dr. Thompson has spent over thirty years working with native tribes of the West. She has worked as an archaeologist, ethnographer, and ethnohistorian. As founder of the Regional Learning Project, she oversaw a team of specialists with a focus on regional history, geography and culture, interviewing over 200 elders of 37 tribes and used the results to produce several documentaries and three websites. More recently, she worked with traditionalists from the Kootenai and Blackfeet tribes on a book about their traditional seasonal grounds through the Crown of the Continent, with a focus on Glacier National Park. PEOPLE BEFORE THE PARK is due out in 2014. Connect with the filmmaker, Sally Thompson -   / sally-tho.  . Follow THE MONTANA EXPERIENCE on facebook -   / themontanaexperience   Subscribe to THE MONTANA EXPERIENCE here:    / @themontanaexperience