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Seven Oklahoma tribes will be getting more than one million dollars to help preserve their native language. The Bureau of Indian Affairs is providing this grant money through its, “Living Languages,” program.

Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, Bryan Newland said this gives Tribes the chance to renew languages that are at a risk of disappearing, as he said there are fewer native speakers each year. Newland had this to say on the importance of the funding:

“Native preservation and language revitalization is a critical priority because languages go to the heart of a Tribe’s unique cultural identities, traditions, spiritual beliefs and self-governance.”

There are 38 other Tribes across the country receiving this funding for similar programs.