With only one speaker left, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians has launched a project to preserve the Serrano language.

The last completely fluent speaker died in 2002. Dorothy Ramon's nephew, Ernest Siva, is the only one who left is almost fluent in the language.

In hopes of turning that around, the tribe started the Serrano Language Revitalization Project. The first task has been creating a new Serrano alphabet so that it's easier to teach a new generation of tribal members.

Get the Story:
Saving the Serrano tongue (The San Bernardino Sun 12/5)

Relevant Links:
San Manuel Band of Mission Indians - http://www.sanmanuel-nsn.gov

Native Languages Bill:
Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act (H.R.4766)

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