An Indigenous language, back from the brink

Headlines From The Times · Jan 24, 2022 · 16m

Native American culture and history have long been ignored or romanticized as vestiges of a lost people — or both.The Serrano people of Southern California have seen their Indigenous language nearly vanish. But tribe member Ernest Siva has been working to save it. Among his efforts: The octogenarian contributes to Cal State San Bernardino’s language program.Then, 25-year-old Mark Araujo-Levinson found the classes through a Google search — and started making YouTube videos of himself learning the language.Today, we hear their voices. And L.A. Times Metro reporter Nathan Solis takes us through…