To be able to read the language, if the language is written. To learn about the culture through the language. These classes, which are a standard feature of the curriculum, give students the option of studying a Native language instead of a foreign language. The students must be American Indian, but it does not matter to which tribe they belong. The language teacher is fluent in the language and has a secondary education degree.
Classes involve elders and occasional field trips.
Fluent Native language speakers have provided support, now and in the past.