When Hopi surveyed their young people to determine how many were speaking the Hopi language, statistics for youths 19 and younger were staggering. There also was good news. About one-half of the people are conversational in the language, with most Hopi older than 60 using Hopi in conversation. At least we have our language.
Language is the heart of culture.
While any language can be preserved on paper, Kuwanwisiwma said the ultimate test is preserving it within the context of culture. Kuwanwisiwma grew up in the 1950s, speaking Hopi as his first language. Boarding schools, however, were intent on seeing the Hopi language vanish, directly and indirectly. Project designed brightly colored children's materials and developed language learning games. The Hopi-English Dictionary has been published in an effort to keep the language alive in the 12 villages in northern Arizona.