Natives struggle to keep languages alive

WARM SPRINGS, Ore., May 23 (UPI) -- Attempts to keep native languages alive are growing in British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest as dozens of languages are at risk of vanishing, experts say.

Indigenous people are creating reference books, teaching plans and working to preserve remnants of their native tongues before they fade away, the Christian Science Monitor reported Friday.

It is reported about 40 native languages are at risk of vanishing within the next decade.

Only two people are still able to speak the Kiksht language, historically found near Oregon's Columbia River.

"It's funny, but it's stuff we still need to know. I think if we didn't have our languages, our customs, traditions, that we wouldn't be considered native Americans," said Radine "Deanie" Johnson, who is leading the effort to keep her grandmother's language alive in Warm Springs, Ore.

The Oregon State Legislature last year approved a resolution crediting Johnson's grandmother, Gladys Thompson, for her work to keep Kiksht alive and "her dedication to the preservation of Indian ways."