Congress protects Native American languages after assimilation policies

Congress enacts the Native American Languages Act on October 30, 1990. The law recognizes Native American languages as unique and irreplaceable and declares a federal policy of preserving, protecting, and promoting them. The statute responds to a long history of federal and state policies, including boarding schools, that tried to suppress Native languages and assimilate Native children into white American culture. It does not repair all of that harm, but it marks a formal reversal in federal language policy. Cultural suppression and forced assimilation are central parts of racism against Native peoples in the United States.