Sioux Valley ‘revitalizing’ Dakota language

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This article was published 25/04/2019 (2458 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Taking steps to ensure the revitalization of Sioux Valley Dakota Nation culture and tradition, the preservation and practise of the Dakota language have been embraced by community members.

Sioux Valley started offering evening language classes this year after receiving funds for culture and heritage, self-government co-ordinator Carol Johnson said. The language was paired with a free new app released in August and resource work booklets for Dakota speakers at all levels. The app includes a dictionary with the spelling of words and recordings of elders speaking.

Some classes have been streamed online, which has helped connect with people who are outside the Sioux Valley community.

“They’re very well-received,” Johnson said, adding that re-establishing their language plays a crucial role in preserving Dakota identity.

“Language is everything,” she said. “Without language we wouldn’t be who we are as Dakota people.”

Part of the impetus placed on the preservation of the language and culture is largely in response to addressing the lost identity — a result of the ’60s scoop and residential schools. These actions facilitated by the federal government created a devastating loss of Indigenous identity, culture and language — issues Johnson described as “really serious and difficult.”

Having the ability to bring language and identity back is incredibly powerful.

Understanding the Dakota language serves as an anchor for identity, especially given the cultural insights it can provide to those learning the language. As an example, Johnson cited the fact that it is spoken differently by men than it is women. Learning these nuisances of speaking help people have a deeper appreciation for Dakota language and culture.

“Our communities may not even know (these things) because nobody told them,” Johnson said.

Part of hosting these different learning avenues is to help grow the number of fluent speakers in the community, she said, before language is lost as people age and pass away.

The community has rallied together and worked to make it possible because they recognized the need for the language, especially given the role it plays in traditional governance.

“Language, identity and culture — they’re all related. Once you lose one you lose the other,” Johnson said.

Elders helping teach the language are fluent and can also pass on ceremonial knowledge and teachings that surround different words, enabling future generations to carry them forward.

The Dakota language classes are offered twice a week in the evening. The number of attendants started out small in the beginning, but toward the end of March they had a full classroom. Students at the Sioux Valley schools are also taught the language.

Classes will continue based on the interest level in the community.

Given the success of the language classes, Dakota Tiwahe Services Inc. has begun offering language classes and educational nights as well. Dakota Tiwahe Services Inc. is a community alternative to Child and Family Services and provides an array of different services and programs for the Sioux Valley community.

As a fun way to learn the language, they recently began offering Dakota Bingo every second Wednesday, executive director Carol McKay-Whitecloudsaid.

“It’s a really great learning opportunity,” McKay-Whitecloud said.

Bingo nights feature ten games wherein all numbers and letters are called out and read in Dakota. A guide is provided for players who are new to the language to make sure they are able to understand.

McKay-Whitecloud said she was amazed at the positive response and engagement with the initiative. Games have averaged between 100 to 150 players ranging in age from grandmothers in their 70s to young children.

“They’re retaining some parts of it (Dakota),” McKay-Whitecloud said. “It’s revitalizing our language.”

Dakota Tiwahe also began offering evening classes with cultural worker and certified language instructor Harold Blacksmith.

“People want it, people are looking for different ways to learn the language,” McKay-Whitecloud said.

Dakota language is a critical part of the nation, McKay-Whitecloud said, as it plays a pivotal role in aspects of culture. Language identifies them as people and each word carries with it an incredible amount of meaning culturally in regards to kinship and respect.

The new programs hosted at the centre are a good way to get the Dakota language out to community and they are planning on moving forward with different ideas and expanding.

“Everything revolves around our language,” McKay-Whitecloud said. “There’s a deeper meaning just being able to say a word there’s teaching within that word.”

» ckemp@brandonsun.com

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