Did Navajo leaders more successful at negotiating with the U.S government?
Were they treated better? Did they go to the infamous boarding schools in smaller numbers?
According to Native-Languages.org, a small non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the indigenous languages of the Western Hemisphere, Navajo is the 14th most spoken Native American language in the Americas at an estimated 150,000 speakers. The languages spoken by more people than Navajo are
Quechua, Andean region of South America, 8 million
Mayan languages, Mexico and Guatemala, 6 million
Guarani, Paraguay and surrounding area, 5 million
Aymara, Peru and Bolivia, 2.5 million
Nahuatl, Mexico, 2 million
Mapudungun, Chile, 500,000
Mixtec, Mexico, 475,000
Zapotec, Mexico, 450,000
Otomi, Mexico, 285,000
Totonac, Mexico, 240,000
Mazatec, Mexico, 220,000
Guajiro, Venezuela and Colombia, 200,000
Miskito, Nicaragua, 180,000