Hey, hey hey, it's Al Lettson, host of Reveal. We're dipping into the podcast midweek to bring you something special,

an episode from one of my other favorite podcasts, NPR's Code Switch.

Code Switch explores how race affects every part of our society,

from politics and pop culture to history and food.

If you don't already subscribe, I highly recommend it.

Recently, the team at Code Switch

did a deep dive into language.

It's an essential building block for any culture, but what happens when a language

begins to fade?

This question has a special urgency for the Lakota people, whose lands stretch across North and South Dakota.

It's reported that there are fewer than 1,500 fluent Lakota speakers today,

and while many Lakota people agree it's vital to save the language

there's a debate over how best to do it and it's not just debate but a legal battle.

Code Switch made an episode about it, and today we want to share their story with you.

It explores a complex fight that's been unfolding in the Lakota Nation from Standing Rock to Pine Ridge.

Here's the episode.

Hey everyone, you're listening to Code Switch, I'm B.A. Parker,

and today I have our senior producer Christina Kala.

Hey Christina.

Hey Parker.

All right, so what do you have for us today?

Two years ago, I started reading about a complex multi-generational fight over language

...