Dakota Language

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Dakota is a Siouan language of the Amerindian family. The term "Dakota" is used to describe the Dakota/Lakota/Nakota dialects collectively or to refer to the Dakota dialect alone. The Dakota dialect is further subdivided into Isnati, spoken by the Mdewakanton, Wahpekute, and Wahpetonwan bands, and Ihanktonwan, spoken by the Sisseton Dakota. Each community has a slightly different dialect because of language shifts due to isolation and intermarriage (SICC).

The Dakota People were given their language by Wakantanka, thus their language is sacred and essential for prayer and ceremony. There are cultural concepts imbedded in the language that are difficult to encompass in English. The phrase Mitakuyapi Owas'in (All My Relations) is central to the Dakota worldview of the interconnectedness of the natural world. Simply translating the phrase into English does not convey its full power because the Dakota language uses kinship terms to refer to all beings, including spirits (Wilson 2005).

Decline and Revitalization

The United States and Canadian governments systematically attempted to destroy the Dakota language for centuries. Native children in boarding schools were subjected to severe physical punishment for speaking their language as recently as the 20^th century. Today there are few fluent Dakota speakers left and most of these are elders over the age of 55. Younger people may have the ability to understand certain phrases or sing Dakota songs but lack the proficiency to keep the language alive for the next generation (SICC). There are a variety of initiatives to revive the Dakota lanugage and teach it to young people, such as preschool immersion programs and Dakota language programs in all levels of education. The Association on American Indian Affairs (AAIA) has created Dakota childrens books, videos, CDs, and a Dakota Scrabble Game. The Sisseton-Wahpeton College collaborated with the AAIA to create a Dakota language rap CD to encourage youth to listen to the Dakota language (AAIA 2009).

There have been several attempts to put the Dakota language into writing by missionaries, scholars, and Dakota people. These are usually modifications of the English writing system. The inconsistancies between writing systems and between local dialects have caused difficulties in teaching Dakota on a mass level (SICC). Community-based immersion programs may have promise of reviving the Dakota language (Torres 2000).

Links

The content of this page was carefully researched, but the author is not an expert on Dakota culture.

If you are Dakota, your feedback is much appreciated.

Bibliography

Association on American Indian Affairs

    2009   Language Preservation/Retention. Electronic document, http://www.indian-affairs.org/programs/language_preservation.htm, accessed March 5, 2009.

Saskatchewan Indian Cultural Center

    Dakota Nakota Lakota. Electronic document, http://www.sicc.sk.ca/heritage/sils/ourlanguages/dnl.html, accessed March 5, 2009.

Torres, Kristina

    2009  Preserving the Mother Tongue. Canku Ota-A Newsletter Celebrating Native America. Issue 07, April 8.

Wilson, Waziyatawin Angela

    2005  Remember This! Dakota Decolonization and the Eli Taylor Narratives. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

Written by: Melissa Lorentz, 2009.

Page design by Sumit Kapali