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ROSEVILLE, California ( KOVR ) -- On a day that highlights the deep Native American roots woven into the foundation of the United States, one Roseville man is working tirelessly to keep his culture alive.

Michael Ramirez, a member of the Konkow Maidu Tribe and a Native historian, begins each encounter with a greeting in his Native language, an act he considers essential to preserving a culture that has survived against the odds.

"How are you? My name is Michael Ramirez… my feet are here in Roseville, California," he says, speaking in Konkow.

For Ramirez, those words are more than a tradition. They're a promise to honor the generations before him.

Ramirez says the mission is urgent. His band, the Strawberry Band of Konkow Maidus, is down to around

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