In central California, before the European arrived, it’s estimated that there were 50,000 Wukchumni speakers.  Today, there is only one, Marie Wilcox, born in 1932, who is making a dictionary of this language so it won’t be entirely lost, while teaching her daughter and grandson.  The Wukchumni is one of about 130 threatened Native languages in the US today.

Wukchumni is the language of the Yokuts tribe.  Today, there are less than 200 members residing on the Tule River Reservation.

Take a look at this short documentary.