"Sadly the language of the Damakawa is already moribund, and even the oldest struggle to remember basic terms [...] There did not seem to be anyone capable of speaking more than isolated fragments of the language. We were nevertheless informed that the language is still used in traditional rituals carried out on their mountain near Talata (a nearby Acipu settlement)."

"Neighbouring tribes do not always hold the Damakawa in high regard. Cicipu accounts of their origin are uncomplimentary to say the least, and there is (or was) a taboo forbidding intermarriage with them (which may extend to other tribes as well). Such an attitude may have contributed to the small size of the ethnic group and the current state of the Damakawa language... Young children in these villages now speak a neighbouring and probably related language, C'Lela, as their mother tongue. Hausa is also spoken, probably universally."

Endangerment status: "Damakawa is moribund and only remains as
isolated words and phrases remembered by a few individuals"

"Damakawa is moribund and only remains as isolated words and phrases remembered by a few individuals"