A few years ago, Sage Brook Carbone went to a gathering of Native Americans. It was at a Pequot reservation in Connecticut. She saw something unusual: signs in the Pequot language.

Ms. Carbone belongs to a different Native tribe. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Could she add Native American language translations to street signs there? Other people liked the idea. The city will install about 70 new signs. They will feature the language of the Massachusett tribe.

Other places around the United States get new signs too. Northern Minnesota now has more than 300 signs in both English and Ojibwe. The signs point out elevators, hospitals, and bear crossings. They label food in a grocery store.

Signs help represent communities. People want to make sure Native American groups are included. They also hope the new signs will help keep those languages from being forgotten.

European settlers came to the Americas starting in the late 1400s. They often treated Native people harshly. Later, many Native children were sent to boarding schools. At these schools, kids weren’t allowed to speak their languages. They couldn’t wear traditional clothing. That was a sad loss for those students.

People in Haines, Alaska, put up new signs this summer. The signs feature both English and Tlingit. Many Tlingit elders there were sent to boarding schools as children. Now they see their language honored.

God’s children come from a mix of cultures. Even when people from different places struggle to get along, God can bring us together. He says that one day, people of every language, tribe, and nation will stand before Him. (Revelation 7:9-10)