Cecelia Jackson, a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation of Kansas, is the last fluent speaker of Potawatomi on he reservation.

But Jackson, 87, doesn't want to be the last one anymore. She's worked with the Prairie Band Potawatomi Language and Cultural Department to develop a dictionary, DVDs and books to preserve the language for future generations.

"Parents, talk to your children and carry it on," Jackson told The Topeka Capital-Journal.

The tribe has been teaching the language to young people and adults. "They want to learn it, speak it and understand it," teacher Cindy LeClere told the paper. "They are hungry for it, and the kids are like sponges and absorb it."

Get the Story:
Potawatomi language lives on (The Topeka Capital-Journal 6/26)

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