Across the United States, many Native American languages are disappearing — and a 12-year-old in Michigan is determined to do something about it.
The young student, named Holden Hoy, is building a robot capable of speaking Anishinaabemowin, the Ojibwe language spoken by his community. The language is considered endangered, and Hoy sees technology as a way to help keep it alive.
Hoy is being guided through the project by his mentor, Danielle Boyer, who is teaching him a range of technical skills including coding and electrical circuitry.
The effort highlights a growing movement among Indigenous youth to use modern technology as a tool for cultural preservation — finding new ways to pass down languages that might otherwise fade from use.
