State of the Navajo Nation Address and Second Quarterly Report "The Dine' language is a very key element of our culture. Our elders have always reminded us that once we as Dine' lose our language, we will no longer be a people. Today it is discouraging to hear that only 70,000+ Navajo people speak our language, out of our total population of 275,000+. It is incumbent of you and I to ensure that our language does not die off and that we will continue to be 'the people'. It is of the utmost importance that our goal as a government is to nurture the development of a vision of what it is to be a Dine' in the coming century. The second most critical and fundamental principle is the preservation, protection and enhancement of Navajo sovereignty. " Presented to the Navajo Nation Council, Spring 1999