Ekegusii is spoken by about two million Kenyans but has been losing ground to Swahili and English. Now it is taught in some schools, thanks to local language activists assisted by American linguists.
You may have never heard of Frisian. But it is spoken by more than 300,000 people, and its revitalization is a model for other small, struggling languages.
Clashes over an oil pipeline slated to cross historic Native territory in North Dakota continue after more the 140 people were arrested in protests last week. The increasingly high-stakes face-off is one of the biggest actions by Native Americans in years.
Police have made mass arrests and used pepper spray, riot gear and armored vehicles to stop the protests. Now, the United Nations is looking into possible human rights abuses.
The Keres language, spoken by the Laguna Pueblo of New Mexico, is dying. When younger tribal members tried to revive it, they were blocked by elders fearful that spiritual essence of the language would be lost.
Along India's remote northern border, a writer finds that country borders — and even nationality — make little difference to people day by day. Yet the India-Pakistan partition is still very much a powerful memory.
Money doesn't always make things right, but sometimes it sure can. The Hopi Nation received a priceless gift today, after its heritage went up for auction in Paris.
Hunting the bowhead whale has been part of Inuit life in northern Canada for centuries. Communities throughout the vast region are now re-experiencing the ancient practice in order to maintain their culture and their identity.
For one community, Columbus Day is a marker of genocide and shame. For another, it's a celebration of history and heritage. Now some cities like Seattle, Portland and Minneapolis are siding with the former, rebranding the holiday as Indigenous Peoples Day.
Two of the three main financiers of large dam projects in Honduras have suspended that funding after two activists opposed to the projects were murdered.
No one knows where Japan's indigenous Ainu language, or the people who spoke it, came from. The language is not part of any known linguistic tree. Now, a dedicated group of Ainu and linguists from around the world are trying to unlock the language's secrets before it dies out.
You thought it was 2016. But in Bolivia, Aymara New Year just rang in 5524. President Evo Morales reaches way back to pre-Columbian times as a way to update his culture.
Listen to The World in Words' live performance at the New York Public Library, with stories on how language activists around the world are trying to revive their mother tongues.
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Lifestyle & Belief
What it's like on a 9,000 mile journey along India's borders
The World
December 16, 2013
Along India's remote northern border, a writer finds that country borders — and even nationality — make little difference to people day by day. Yet the India-Pakistan partition is still very much a powerful memory.
Lifestyle & Belief
Why a charity and an anonymous bidder are returning 'old friends' to the Hopi
The World
December 11, 2013
Money doesn't always make things right, but sometimes it sure can. The Hopi Nation received a priceless gift today, after its heritage went up for auction in Paris.
Food
A successful whale hunt in northern Canada revives an ancient Inuit tradition
As It Happens
August 11, 2014
Hunting the bowhead whale has been part of Inuit life in northern Canada for centuries. Communities throughout the vast region are now re-experiencing the ancient practice in order to maintain their culture and their identity.
Justice
More and more cities are saying goodbye, Columbus
The Takeaway
October 13, 2014
For one community, Columbus Day is a marker of genocide and shame. For another, it's a celebration of history and heritage. Now some cities like Seattle, Portland and Minneapolis are siding with the former, rebranding the holiday as Indigenous Peoples Day.
Education
Parents and students rallied to keep this indigenous language school open
The World in Words
December 12, 2014
In Los Angeles, a school with a focus on Mexico's indigenous culture and language faced a long fight for survival.
Arts
Colonizers. Exploiters. Art that portrays how people responded.
Global Voices Online
November 05, 2015
Eight paintings that tell a generation of stories about the people who were living in the Philippines long before the colonizers appeared.
Justice
Key dam funders withdraw support after murders in Honduras
Living on Earth
April 16, 2016
Two of the three main financiers of large dam projects in Honduras have suspended that funding after two activists opposed to the projects were murdered.
Culture
In Japan, the Ainu language is largely unknown and unloved, but linguists are fascinated by its mysteries
The World in Words
May 26, 2016
No one knows where Japan's indigenous Ainu language, or the people who spoke it, came from. The language is not part of any known linguistic tree. Now, a dedicated group of Ainu and linguists from around the world are trying to unlock the language's secrets before it dies out.
Global Politics
Bolivia's president wants to use an indigenous calendar, but are his motives genuine?
The World
July 04, 2016
You thought it was 2016. But in Bolivia, Aymara New Year just rang in 5524. President Evo Morales reaches way back to pre-Columbian times as a way to update his culture.
Culture
The World in Words live: From Ainu to Zaza
The World in Words
June 29, 2016
Listen to The World in Words' live performance at the New York Public Library, with stories on how language activists around the world are trying to revive their mother tongues.