Preserving the endangered Ute Mountain Ute language

January 13, 2022
COLORADO-RIVER-BASIN-TRIBES-LANDSCAPECOLORADO-RIVER-BASIN-TRIBES-LANDSCAPEMichael Elizabeth Sakas/CPR News
A home on the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribe reservation in southwest Colorado on November 18, 2021.

The language of the Ute Mountain Ute tribe in the four corners region of Colorado is endangered: Just over 100 people on the planet speak it fluently. To save their language, the Ute Mountain Ute have created a digital dictionary with help from the Language Conservancy, a group that works to protect endangered languages. Juanita Plentyholes is the project coordinator with the Ute Mountain Ute tribe. Wil Meya is with the is with the Language Conservancy.