A discussion of the crisis in preservation of North American Indian languages looks at a variety of general and specific issues. First, it examines briefly current efforts by international organizations for maintenance of endangered languages worldwide. The discussion then turns to North American Indian languages, and particularly to three issues: (1) how to set priorities about which languages and varieties of languages to document, and the relationship between linguists and the community in this effort; (2) the kinds of cooperative projects that have been successful to date; and (3) the social and professional responsibility of the linguist, as a scientist and as a teacher of future researchers. The urgency of the problem is emphasized. (MSE)