Tribes in Arizona and Iowa are hoping their Native languages don't die out in the coming generations.

Pai is spoken among the Yavapai, Hualapai, Havasupai in Arizona. Most young people don't know the language.

"We're struggling to preserve the language," Lucille Watahomigie, a Pai linguist and member of the Hualapai Tribe, told The Arizona Republic. "A lot of the kids say, 'If nobody's speaking it, how can we learn it?' "

In Iowa, some elders of the Meskwaki Tribe still speak Meskwaki. Most adults and young people aren't brought up with the language.

The Pai tribes and the Meskwaki are making efforts to pass on their languages to younger generations. About 80 Pai youth attended a summer camp to learn more about their heritage. The Meskwakis offer courses for adults and youth.

Get the Story:
11th-hour effort to save a Native tongue (The Arizona Republic 7/27)
Talking the talk (The Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier 7/27)