What are Endangered Cultures?
Often when we talk about climate change we discuss the loss of biodiversity. Biodiversity is the amount of different species in an area, and how there are more than just a few strong, reigning species. When one species gets too healthy and strong it begins to push out other species, and this causes a loss of biodiversity. Now apply this to humans. When one culture becomes too prominent, what happens to all of the smaller cultures? Are they told that it is acceptable to be different, or practice traditions or customs that are unique? No, instead they are told to assimilate, and accept the more powerful culture. Now, rather than a world made up of many different cultures and ideals, there are only small pockets of ethnically biodiverse areas. In countries such as the U.S. one must speak English to be successful in basically any state or town. Very few places are understanding of those who don’t see English, and see it as that person’s problem and something that they MUST learn. Wade Davis with National Geographic states in his Ted Talk, “Genocide is condemned, ethnocide is celebrated.” Few people in this country see language as an exciting thing that allows for new ideals. Thus here and in many parts of the world, we are losing our ethnosphere, and globalization is creating a less culturally diverse world. 
What about Endangered Cultures in Nepal?
Nepal has many languages, but most of them are on the brink of extinction. Wikipedia lists 60 languages that are critically endangered, severely endangered, definitely endangered, or vulnerable. Other sites have slightly different numbers, ranging from 70 to 37. This is a massive amount. Some of these languages have only 50 people still speaking them, and if they are not taught to future generations they will become extinct entirely. Nepal has 122 major languages, so the fact that this many are going extinct is tragic and problematic. 78% of the Nepalese speak Nepali, either as a first or second language, and this requirement to have a more official language is killing off smaller ones. Parents are insisting that their children learn Nepali and English in order to go to higher education and have a better likelihood of success later in life. King Mahendra, who ruled Nepal from 1955-1972 was the first to institute stricter policies on dress and language to ensure Nepali nationalism. He believed that a unified Nepal was stronger, and that this unity would only be brought about through the destruction of many ethnic cultures. Today languages which have only have one speaker left are attempting to save their languages by opening small schools to teach the children of the town their ancestral ways. In order to save the languages of Nepal, work will need to be done with young people to teach them their heritage and language, and hope that they see value in this.
