Question about saying

[MJ Hardman]

I believe in this list I first read a saying  regarding the death of a
speaker of a threatened language that goes something like:
When an elder dies a library dies.
Do any of you know this one, its origin and how it really goes?
I want to use this in regard to the death of my comadre.  Her loss does make
what we are trying to do in spite of the Ministry more difficult.  Just when
I thought we had a full good-faith commitment, they found a technical way to
postpone another year! Meanwhile, children are switching to Spanish without
the necessary commitment to the language required by use in the schools. Dr.
Bautista first knocked on the doors of the Ministry nearly 70, yes 70, years
ago.  After a few years he was sent to SIL (there being no linguistics
then); for one day he knew that writing his language was possible.  Then a
little over 50 years ago I appeared, and we started knocking on the doors
together.  As  a Peruvian friend explained, there are only us, the same
through all the years, while every year or two the Ministry changes people
and they can start the barrier arranging anew.  Even as the laws now say
language preservation, the action is language destruction.  I have been
wondering whether Dr. Bautista and I will manage to see this in our
lifetime.  70 years.  And one more library gone.  And they don't get it.
MJ