University of Colorado professor works with Northern Arapaho to revitalize and teach the language

Fewer than 100 people remain in the world who speak Arapaho. A University of Colorado Boulder professor has worked for two decades with the Northern Arapaho to ensure the language is not forgotten.

Raphael Young-Chief teaches the Arapaho language to middle and high school students at Wyoming Indian Schools. He said, "One thing my grandpa and my grandma always said was 'How can you call yourself Arapaho if you don't know the language?' The language is what makes us who we are. It holds us together."

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Young-Chief is also helping CU Linguistics Professor Andrew Cowell, who he met years ago through his grandparents. Through that partnership, Cowell has made it his mission to preserve and revitalize the Arapaho language.

Professor Cowell,