Lillooet

Lillooet is an endangered language spoken by fewer than 200 people in British Columbia, Canada. It is a member of the Salishan language family and is closely related to the Thompson language. Lillooet is one of the few remaining indigenous languages in North America that is not written down. Lillooet was once the dominant language in the Fraser Canyon region of British Columbia. It is thought that the Lillooet people have inhabited the area for at least 10,000 years. The first contact with Europeans was in the early 1800s, when fur traders began to visit the area. In the 1860s, gold miners came to the Fraser Canyon, and the Lillooet people were forced to move to reservations. Many Lillooet people also died of disease. The Lillooet language began to decline in the early 1900s, when children were no longer taught the language in schools. By the mid-1900s, only a few Elders were still fluent in Lillooet. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in the Lillooet language, and there are now several language programs in schools and community organizations.