Author: Jamie

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Season 2 | Episode 1 – Hartland Goodtrack Tȟawíčhooyake (The Story of Hartland Goodtrack)

[fusion_builder_container type=”flex” hundred_percent=”no” hundred_percent_height=”no” min_height_medium=”” min_height_small=”” min_height=”” hundred_percent_height_scroll=”no” align_content=”stretch” flex_align_items=”flex-start” flex_justify_content=”center” flex_column_spacing=”” hundred_percent_height_center_content=”yes” equal_height_columns=”no” container_tag=”div” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” status=”published” publish_date=”” class=”” id=”” margin_top_medium=”” margin_bottom_medium=”” margin_top_small=”” margin_bottom_small=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top_medium=”” padding_right_medium=”” padding_bottom_medium=”” padding_left_medium=”” padding_top_small=”” padding_right_small=”” padding_bottom_small=”” padding_left_small=”” padding_top=”2%” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”1%” padding_left=”” link_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” link_hover_color=”” border_sizes_top=”” border_sizes_right=”” border_sizes_bottom=”” border_sizes_left=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” box_shadow=”no” box_shadow_vertical=”” box_shadow_horizontal=”” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ box_shadow_color=”” box_shadow_style=”” z_index=”” overflow=”” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_color=”” background_image=”” skip_lazy_load=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_blend_mode=”none” video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” pattern_bg=”none” pattern_custom_bg=”” pattern_bg_color=”” pattern_bg_style=”default” pattern_bg_opacity=”100″ pattern_bg_size=”” pattern_bg_blend_mode=”normal” mask_bg=”none” mask_custom_bg=”” mask_bg_color=”” mask_bg_accent_color=”” mask_bg_style=”default” mask_bg_opacity=”100″ mask_bg_transform=”left” mask_bg_blend_mode=”normal” render_logics=”” absolute=”off” absolute_devices=”small,medium,large” sticky=”off” sticky_devices=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_background_color=”” sticky_height=”” sticky_offset=”” sticky_transition_offset=”0″ scroll_offset=”0″ animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”3_4″ layout=”3_4″ align_self=”auto” content_layout=”column” align_content=”flex-start” valign_content=”flex-start” content_wrap=”wrap” spacing=”” center_content=”no” column_tag=”div” link=”” target=”_self” link_description=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” background_image_id=”” type_medium=”” type_small=”” order_medium=”0″ order_small=”0″ spacing_left_medium=”” spacing_right_medium=”” spacing_left_small=”” spacing_right_small=”” spacing_left=”” spacing_right=”” margin_top_medium=”” margin_bottom_medium=”” margin_top_small=”” margin_bottom_small=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top_medium=”” padding_right_medium=”” padding_bottom_medium=”” padding_left_medium=”” padding_top_small=”” padding_right_small=”” padding_bottom_small=”” padding_left_small=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”4%” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”4%” hover_type=”none” border_sizes_top=”” border_sizes_right=”” border_sizes_bottom=”” border_sizes_left=”” border_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” border_style=”solid” border_radius_top_left=”” border_radius_top_right=”” border_radius_bottom_right=”” border_radius_bottom_left=”” box_shadow=”no” box_shadow_vertical=”” box_shadow_horizontal=”” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ box_shadow_color=”” box_shadow_style=”” z_index_subgroup=”regular” z_index=”” z_index_hover=”” overflow=”” background_type=”single” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_color=”” background_image=”” lazy_load=”avada” skip_lazy_load=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_blend_mode=”none” render_logics=”” sticky=”off” sticky_devices=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_offset=”” filter_type=”regular” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″ transform_type=”regular” transform_scale_x=”1″ transform_scale_y=”1″ transform_translate_x=”0″ transform_translate_y=”0″ transform_rotate=”0″ transform_skew_x=”0″ transform_skew_y=”0″ transform_origin=”” transform_scale_x_hover=”1″ transform_scale_y_hover=”1″ transform_translate_x_hover=”0″ transform_translate_y_hover=”0″ transform_rotate_hover=”0″ transform_skew_x_hover=”0″ transform_skew_y_hover=”0″ animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”true” border_position=”all” first=”true”][fusion_title title_type=”text” rotation_effect=”bounceIn” display_time=”1200″ highlight_effect=”circle” loop_animation=”off” highlight_width=”9″ highlight_top_margin=”0″ before_text=”” rotation_text=”” highlight_text=”” after_text=”” title_link=”off” link_url=”” link_target=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” content_align_medium=”” content_align_small=”” content_align=”left” size=”1″ animated_font_size=”” fusion_font_family_title_font=”” fusion_font_variant_title_font=”” font_size=”” line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” text_transform=”” text_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” animated_text_color=”” text_shadow=”no” text_shadow_vertical=”” text_shadow_horizontal=”” text_shadow_blur=”0″ text_shadow_color=”” margin_top_medium=”” margin_right_medium=”” margin_bottom_medium=”” margin_left_medium=”” margin_top_small=”” margin_right_small=”” margin_bottom_small=”” margin_left_small=”” margin_top=”” margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_left=”” margin_top_mobile=”” margin_bottom_mobile=”” gradient_font=”no” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ highlight_color=”” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” link_color=”” link_hover_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]

Season 2 | Episode 1

Hartland Goodtrack Tȟawíčhooyake (The Story of Hartland Goodtrack)

[/fusion_title][fusion_separator style_type=”single solid” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” flex_grow=”0″ top_margin=”0″ bottom_margin=”40px” width=”200px” alignment=”left” border_size=”3px” sep_color=”#8b1b1f” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” icon=”” icon_size=”” icon_color=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” /][fusion_code]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[/fusion_code][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” content_alignment_medium=”” content_alignment_small=”” content_alignment=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” margin_top=”2%” margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_left=”” fusion_font_family_text_font=”” fusion_font_variant_text_font=”” font_size=”” line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” text_transform=”” text_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]

We are excited to kick off Season 2 with our first episode featuring one of the last fluent Lakota speakers from Wood Mountain (Ȟé-Čháŋ), the only Lakota speaking community in Canada, Hartland Goodtrack. We met Hartland last fall at the Thuswéčha Lakota/Dakota/Nakoda Language Summit in Rapid City.

We are so grateful that he took the time to speak with us and allow us to record him for the podcast. In this episode, he talks about growing up, being raised by his grandparents, and speaking Lakota. However, today he is one of the last living fluent speakers from his community. We can learn from his story to value and cherish the speakers in our communities and to continue working to ensure that our language continues on for generations to come.

This episode features speakers Hartland Goodtrack (Húŋkpapȟa), Robert Two Crow (Oglála), and Alex FireThunder (Oglála).

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Posted on by — Leave a comment

LLC Announces New Executive Director & Board Chair on 20th Anniversary Milestone

[fusion_builder_container enable_background_slider=”no” elegant_transition_effect=”fade” elegant_background_scale=”cover” elegant_transition_delay=”3″ gradient_type=”linear” gradient_direction=”0deg” gradient_force=”yes” type=”flex” hundred_percent=”no” hundred_percent_height=”no” hundred_percent_height_scroll=”no” align_content=”stretch” flex_align_items=”flex-start” flex_justify_content=”flex-start” hundred_percent_height_center_content=”yes” equal_height_columns=”no” container_tag=”div” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” status=”published” border_style=”solid” box_shadow=”no” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_blend_mode=”none” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” pattern_bg=”none” pattern_bg_style=”default” pattern_bg_opacity=”100″ pattern_bg_blend_mode=”normal” mask_bg=”none” mask_bg_style=”default” mask_bg_opacity=”100″ mask_bg_transform=”left” mask_bg_blend_mode=”normal” absolute=”off” absolute_devices=”small,medium,large” sticky=”off” sticky_devices=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_transition_offset=”0″ scroll_offset=”0″ animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″ margin_top=”50″ margin_bottom=”50″][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”3_4″ layout=”3_4″ align_self=”auto” content_layout=”column” align_content=”flex-start” valign_content=”flex-start” content_wrap=”wrap” spacing=”” center_content=”no” column_tag=”div” link=”” target=”_self” link_description=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” background_image_id=”” type_medium=”” type_small=”” order_medium=”0″ order_small=”0″ spacing_left_medium=”” spacing_right_medium=”” spacing_left_small=”” spacing_right_small=”” spacing_left=”” spacing_right=”” margin_top_medium=”” margin_bottom_medium=”” margin_top_small=”” margin_bottom_small=”” margin_top=”50px” margin_bottom=”” padding_top_medium=”” padding_right_medium=”” padding_bottom_medium=”” padding_left_medium=”” padding_top_small=”” padding_right_small=”” padding_bottom_small=”” padding_left_small=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”4%” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”4%” hover_type=”none” border_sizes_top=”” border_sizes_right=”” border_sizes_bottom=”” border_sizes_left=”” border_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” border_style=”solid” border_radius_top_left=”” border_radius_top_right=”” border_radius_bottom_right=”” border_radius_bottom_left=”” box_shadow=”no” box_shadow_vertical=”” box_shadow_horizontal=”” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ box_shadow_color=”” box_shadow_style=”” z_index_subgroup=”regular” z_index=”” z_index_hover=”” overflow=”” background_type=”single” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_color=”” background_image=”” lazy_load=”avada” skip_lazy_load=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_blend_mode=”none” render_logics=”” sticky=”off” sticky_devices=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_offset=”” filter_type=”regular” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″ transform_type=”regular” transform_scale_x=”1″ transform_scale_y=”1″ transform_translate_x=”0″ transform_translate_y=”0″ transform_rotate=”0″ transform_skew_x=”0″ transform_skew_y=”0″ transform_origin=”” transform_scale_x_hover=”1″ transform_scale_y_hover=”1″ transform_translate_x_hover=”0″ transform_translate_y_hover=”0″ transform_rotate_hover=”0″ transform_skew_x_hover=”0″ transform_skew_y_hover=”0″ animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”false” border_position=”all” first=”true”][fusion_title title_type=”text” rotation_effect=”bounceIn” display_time=”1200″ highlight_effect=”circle” loop_animation=”off” highlight_width=”9″ highlight_top_margin=”0″ before_text=”” rotation_text=”” highlight_text=”” after_text=”” title_link=”off” link_url=”” link_target=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” content_align_medium=”” content_align_small=”” content_align=”left” size=”1″ animated_font_size=”” fusion_font_family_title_font=”” fusion_font_variant_title_font=”” font_size=”” line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” text_transform=”” text_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” animated_text_color=”” text_shadow=”no” text_shadow_vertical=”” text_shadow_horizontal=”” text_shadow_blur=”0″ text_shadow_color=”” margin_top_medium=”” margin_right_medium=”” margin_bottom_medium=”” margin_left_medium=”” margin_top_small=”” margin_right_small=”” margin_bottom_small=”” margin_left_small=”” margin_top=”” margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_left=”” margin_top_mobile=”” margin_bottom_mobile=”” gradient_font=”no” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ highlight_color=”” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” link_color=”” link_hover_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]

LLC Announces New Executive Director & Board Chair on 20th Anniversary Milestone

[/fusion_title][fusion_separator style_type=”single solid” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sep_color=”#8b1b1f” top_margin=”0″ bottom_margin=”40px” border_size=”3px” width=”100px” alignment=”left” /][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” content_alignment_medium=”” content_alignment_small=”” content_alignment=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” margin_top=”-10px” margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_left=”” fusion_font_family_text_font=”” fusion_font_variant_text_font=”” font_size=”14″ line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” text_transform=”” text_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]

Lakota Language Consortium | February 1, 2024

[/fusion_text][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” content_alignment_medium=”” content_alignment_small=”” content_alignment=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” margin_top=”” margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_left=”” fusion_font_family_text_font=”” fusion_font_variant_text_font=”” font_size=”” line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” text_transform=”” text_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]

The Lakota Language Consortium (LLC) Board of Directors is pleased to announce a transition in leadership on its 20th anniversary. We welcome Alex FireThunder as Executive Director and Tipiziwin Tolman as the Board Chair. Ben Black Bear Jr. will continue to serve as the Board Vice Chair. LLC’s mission is to create innovative educational resources and opportunities to learn and use the Lakota language. 

The Board is happy to welcome Alex FireThunder (Oglála Lakȟóta) as the Executive Director of the LLC. A dedicated learner, Alex previously served as the Deputy Director and events instructor and holds a Masters Degree in Lakota Leadership and Tribal administration. He is a traditional singer, NAMMY winner and author of 5 upcoming Lakota language picture books to be released in 2024.

Tipiziwin Tolman (Sihasapa, Hunkpapȟa Lakȟota, Wičhiyena and Tizaptaŋna Dakȟota) has accepted the role of Board Chair. She has served as a board member since 2022, is a former Lakota immersion school teacher and language advocate. Tipiziwin is a Doctoral Student at Washington State University’s College of Education’s Cultural Studies and Social Thought in Education PhD program and is finishing her Masters of Indigenous Language Revitalization at the University of Victoria. She is the co-owner of “Haípažaža Pȟežúta” making hot process soaps & bath & body products using good medicines from plant relatives. 

Director of Indian Studies for St. Francis Mission, Ben Black Bear Jr. (Sičháŋǧu Lakȟóta), continues to lend his 50 years of experience documenting and teaching the Lakota language. In the past, Ben has served his community for two terms as Vice President of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, as well as an early Director of the Lakota studies department at Siŋté Glešká University and former Executive Director of the RST Tribal Land Enterprise. We all enjoy his contributions to the New Lakota Dictionary and Grammar Handbook and his voice in many Lakota learning materials.

With this transition, we also announce that LLC’s former Executive Director and Board Chair, Wilhelm Meya, is no longer a board member or employed with the LLC. We want to express gratitude for Mr. Meya’s dedication and contributions to the organization over the years. 

We’ve continually reflected on the Elders who founded the LLC during this process. Their thoughtful vision and tireless efforts to document the language and find mediums to make it widely accessible show their dedication to our language and culture. This monumental change puts Lakota leadership at the forefront and honors the original vision. As language efforts progress, we will continue to update stakeholders, staff, and the community.

LLC Board Of Directors members are Tipiziwin Tolman, Ben Black Bear Jr. Rick Two Dogs, Travis Condon, Šišókaduta, Iris Eagle Chasing, and Jan Ullrich. 

[/fusion_text][fusion_separator style_type=”single solid” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sep_color=”#8b1b1f” bottom_margin=”40px” border_size=”3px” width=”100px” alignment=”left” top_margin=”20″ /][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” content_alignment_medium=”” content_alignment_small=”” content_alignment=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” margin_top=”” margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_left=”” fusion_font_family_text_font=”” fusion_font_variant_text_font=”” font_size=”” line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” text_transform=”” text_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]

Biographies 

Ben Black Bear Jr. | Sičháŋǧu Lakȟóta | LLC Board Vice Chairman Since 2008

Ben is an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and is the current Director of Indian Studies for the St. Francis Mission. He is the former Executive Director of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe’s Tribal Land Enterprise and Tribal Vice President. As a fluent native speaker of Lakota and early Director of the Lakota Language Department at Siŋté Glešká University, he has been involved with various aspects of the Lakota language teaching for five decades. He has set out to produce language materials to be used to document and teach the Lakota language and after five decades of work he has accomplished what he has intended to do.


Alex FireThunder | Oglála Lakȟóta | Executive Director and Board Member Since 2022

Alex is the Executive Director at Lakota Language Consortium. As an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Alex brings a wealth of experience to his role, holding a BSW in Social Work, MA in Lakota Leadership, and a Lakota Language Certificate from Oglala Lakota College. A seasoned educator, Alex taught Lakota for four years at Little Wound School and has been a vital part of the Lakota Language Consortium since 2017. A musician and NAMMY award-winning song composer, he founded Hóyeya, a platform for promoting Lakota language content. Alex believes in the transformative power of language in shaping a strong Lakota identity. The move from Deputy Director to Executive Director is a significant transition that allows him to make a broader impact for Lakota communities. 

Tipiziwin Tolman | Sihasapa, Hunkpapȟa Lakȟota, Wičhiyena and Tizaptaŋna Dakȟota | Board Member Since 2022

Tipiziwin is an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Currently she is a Doctoral Student at Washington State University’s College of Education’s Cultural Studies and Social Thought in Education PhD program and is finishing her Masters of Indigenous Language Revitalization at the University of Victoria. Dedicating her life to addressing language and healthcare disparities she also serves as a research assistant supporting Nez Perce community language revitalization and on the National Academies of Medicine’s Culture of Health Program Advisory Committee. Tipiziwin is the co-owner of “Haípažaža Pȟežúta” making hot process soaps & bath & body products using good medicines from plant relatives Within her lived experience as an Indigenous scholar, Tribal Language Revitalization & Lakota Language Advocate and former Lakota Language immersion instructor, she is a living witness that Tribal Language & Education rooted in Indigenous Pedagogy, are the key and leading social determinants of health for tribal members and tribal communities across the United States.

You can view biographies of all of our board members here

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_global id=”11370″][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Episode 10 – Wóšpipi na Ómakȟa Tȟéča (Christmas and New Years)

[fusion_builder_container type=”flex” hundred_percent=”no” hundred_percent_height=”no” min_height_medium=”” min_height_small=”” min_height=”” hundred_percent_height_scroll=”no” align_content=”stretch” flex_align_items=”flex-start” flex_justify_content=”center” flex_column_spacing=”” hundred_percent_height_center_content=”yes” equal_height_columns=”no” container_tag=”div” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” status=”published” publish_date=”” class=”” id=”” margin_top_medium=”” margin_bottom_medium=”” margin_top_small=”” margin_bottom_small=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top_medium=”” padding_right_medium=”” padding_bottom_medium=”” padding_left_medium=”” padding_top_small=”” padding_right_small=”” padding_bottom_small=”” padding_left_small=”” padding_top=”2%” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”1%” padding_left=”” link_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” link_hover_color=”” border_sizes_top=”” border_sizes_right=”” border_sizes_bottom=”” border_sizes_left=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” box_shadow=”no” box_shadow_vertical=”” box_shadow_horizontal=”” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ box_shadow_color=”” box_shadow_style=”” z_index=”” overflow=”” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_color=”” background_image=”” skip_lazy_load=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_blend_mode=”none” video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” pattern_bg=”none” pattern_custom_bg=”” pattern_bg_color=”” pattern_bg_style=”default” pattern_bg_opacity=”100″ pattern_bg_size=”” pattern_bg_blend_mode=”normal” mask_bg=”none” mask_custom_bg=”” mask_bg_color=”” mask_bg_accent_color=”” mask_bg_style=”default” mask_bg_opacity=”100″ mask_bg_transform=”left” mask_bg_blend_mode=”normal” render_logics=”” absolute=”off” absolute_devices=”small,medium,large” sticky=”off” sticky_devices=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_background_color=”” sticky_height=”” sticky_offset=”” sticky_transition_offset=”0″ scroll_offset=”0″ animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”3_4″ layout=”3_4″ align_self=”auto” content_layout=”column” align_content=”flex-start” valign_content=”flex-start” content_wrap=”wrap” spacing=”” center_content=”no” column_tag=”div” link=”” target=”_self” link_description=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” background_image_id=”” type_medium=”” type_small=”” order_medium=”0″ order_small=”0″ spacing_left_medium=”” spacing_right_medium=”” spacing_left_small=”” spacing_right_small=”” spacing_left=”” spacing_right=”” margin_top_medium=”” margin_bottom_medium=”” margin_top_small=”” margin_bottom_small=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top_medium=”” padding_right_medium=”” padding_bottom_medium=”” padding_left_medium=”” padding_top_small=”” padding_right_small=”” padding_bottom_small=”” padding_left_small=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”4%” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”4%” hover_type=”none” border_sizes_top=”” border_sizes_right=”” border_sizes_bottom=”” border_sizes_left=”” border_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” border_style=”solid” border_radius_top_left=”” border_radius_top_right=”” border_radius_bottom_right=”” border_radius_bottom_left=”” box_shadow=”no” box_shadow_vertical=”” box_shadow_horizontal=”” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ box_shadow_color=”” box_shadow_style=”” z_index_subgroup=”regular” z_index=”” z_index_hover=”” overflow=”” background_type=”single” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_color=”” background_image=”” lazy_load=”avada” skip_lazy_load=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_blend_mode=”none” render_logics=”” sticky=”off” sticky_devices=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_offset=”” filter_type=”regular” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″ transform_type=”regular” transform_scale_x=”1″ transform_scale_y=”1″ transform_translate_x=”0″ transform_translate_y=”0″ transform_rotate=”0″ transform_skew_x=”0″ transform_skew_y=”0″ transform_origin=”” transform_scale_x_hover=”1″ transform_scale_y_hover=”1″ transform_translate_x_hover=”0″ transform_translate_y_hover=”0″ transform_rotate_hover=”0″ transform_skew_x_hover=”0″ transform_skew_y_hover=”0″ animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”true” border_position=”all” first=”true”][fusion_title title_type=”text” rotation_effect=”bounceIn” display_time=”1200″ highlight_effect=”circle” loop_animation=”off” highlight_width=”9″ highlight_top_margin=”0″ before_text=”” rotation_text=”” highlight_text=”” after_text=”” title_link=”off” link_url=”” link_target=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” content_align_medium=”” content_align_small=”” content_align=”left” size=”1″ animated_font_size=”” fusion_font_family_title_font=”” fusion_font_variant_title_font=”” font_size=”” line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” text_transform=”” text_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” animated_text_color=”” text_shadow=”no” text_shadow_vertical=”” text_shadow_horizontal=”” text_shadow_blur=”0″ text_shadow_color=”” margin_top_medium=”” margin_right_medium=”” margin_bottom_medium=”” margin_left_medium=”” margin_top_small=”” margin_right_small=”” margin_bottom_small=”” margin_left_small=”” margin_top=”” margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_left=”” margin_top_mobile=”” margin_bottom_mobile=”” gradient_font=”no” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ highlight_color=”” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” link_color=”” link_hover_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]

Episode 10 – Wóšpipi na Ómakȟa Tȟéča (Christmas and New Years)

[/fusion_title][fusion_separator style_type=”single solid” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” flex_grow=”0″ top_margin=”0″ bottom_margin=”40px” width=”200px” alignment=”left” border_size=”3px” sep_color=”#8b1b1f” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” icon=”” icon_size=”” icon_color=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” /][fusion_code]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[/fusion_code][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” content_alignment_medium=”” content_alignment_small=”” content_alignment=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” margin_top=”2%” margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_left=”” fusion_font_family_text_font=”” fusion_font_variant_text_font=”” font_size=”” line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” text_transform=”” text_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]

In this final episode of Season 1, we discuss the memories around Christmas and the various customs that have been introduced to our Lakota people via churches. We also discuss how resilient and innovative our people were to carry traditional Lakota concepts into these practices. For example, the word, “Wóšpipi,” means berrypicking, however the Christmas custom of receiving treats and presents under a tree is also described by this word. Similarly, Santa Clause was assigned the Lakota name, “Wazíya,” who existed in old traditional Lakota tales prior to contact with Christian missionaries. We’d like to extend our wishes for happy holidays to all and we look forward to delivering Season 2 of Wičháho Blihélya in 2024!

Speakers in this episode include: Wilber Witt (Oglála), Dave “Dawí” American Horse (Oglála), Theresa Mendoza (Oglála), Alvon Little Whiteman (Oglála), Imogene Roy (Oglála), Ben Black Bear Jr. (Sičháŋǧu), Robert Two Crow (Oglála), and Alex FireThunder (Oglála).

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Episode 9 – Wakhúwapi (Hunting)

[fusion_builder_container type=”flex” hundred_percent=”no” hundred_percent_height=”no” min_height_medium=”” min_height_small=”” min_height=”” hundred_percent_height_scroll=”no” align_content=”stretch” flex_align_items=”flex-start” flex_justify_content=”center” flex_column_spacing=”” hundred_percent_height_center_content=”yes” equal_height_columns=”no” container_tag=”div” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” status=”published” publish_date=”” class=”” id=”” margin_top_medium=”” margin_bottom_medium=”” margin_top_small=”” margin_bottom_small=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top_medium=”” padding_right_medium=”” padding_bottom_medium=”” padding_left_medium=”” padding_top_small=”” padding_right_small=”” padding_bottom_small=”” padding_left_small=”” padding_top=”2%” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”1%” padding_left=”” link_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” link_hover_color=”” border_sizes_top=”” border_sizes_right=”” border_sizes_bottom=”” border_sizes_left=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” box_shadow=”no” box_shadow_vertical=”” box_shadow_horizontal=”” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ box_shadow_color=”” box_shadow_style=”” z_index=”” overflow=”” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_color=”” background_image=”” skip_lazy_load=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_blend_mode=”none” video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” pattern_bg=”none” pattern_custom_bg=”” pattern_bg_color=”” pattern_bg_style=”default” pattern_bg_opacity=”100″ pattern_bg_size=”” pattern_bg_blend_mode=”normal” mask_bg=”none” mask_custom_bg=”” mask_bg_color=”” mask_bg_accent_color=”” mask_bg_style=”default” mask_bg_opacity=”100″ mask_bg_transform=”left” mask_bg_blend_mode=”normal” render_logics=”” absolute=”off” absolute_devices=”small,medium,large” sticky=”off” sticky_devices=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_background_color=”” sticky_height=”” sticky_offset=”” sticky_transition_offset=”0″ scroll_offset=”0″ animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”3_4″ layout=”3_4″ align_self=”auto” content_layout=”column” align_content=”flex-start” valign_content=”flex-start” content_wrap=”wrap” spacing=”” center_content=”no” column_tag=”div” link=”” target=”_self” link_description=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” background_image_id=”” type_medium=”” type_small=”” order_medium=”0″ order_small=”0″ spacing_left_medium=”” spacing_right_medium=”” spacing_left_small=”” spacing_right_small=”” spacing_left=”” spacing_right=”” margin_top_medium=”” margin_bottom_medium=”” margin_top_small=”” margin_bottom_small=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top_medium=”” padding_right_medium=”” padding_bottom_medium=”” padding_left_medium=”” padding_top_small=”” padding_right_small=”” padding_bottom_small=”” padding_left_small=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”4%” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”4%” hover_type=”none” border_sizes_top=”” border_sizes_right=”” border_sizes_bottom=”” border_sizes_left=”” border_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” border_style=”solid” border_radius_top_left=”” border_radius_top_right=”” border_radius_bottom_right=”” border_radius_bottom_left=”” box_shadow=”no” box_shadow_vertical=”” box_shadow_horizontal=”” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ box_shadow_color=”” box_shadow_style=”” z_index_subgroup=”regular” z_index=”” z_index_hover=”” overflow=”” background_type=”single” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_color=”” background_image=”” lazy_load=”avada” skip_lazy_load=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_blend_mode=”none” render_logics=”” sticky=”off” sticky_devices=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_offset=”” filter_type=”regular” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″ transform_type=”regular” transform_scale_x=”1″ transform_scale_y=”1″ transform_translate_x=”0″ transform_translate_y=”0″ transform_rotate=”0″ transform_skew_x=”0″ transform_skew_y=”0″ transform_origin=”” transform_scale_x_hover=”1″ transform_scale_y_hover=”1″ transform_translate_x_hover=”0″ transform_translate_y_hover=”0″ transform_rotate_hover=”0″ transform_skew_x_hover=”0″ transform_skew_y_hover=”0″ animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”true” border_position=”all” first=”true”][fusion_title title_type=”text” rotation_effect=”bounceIn” display_time=”1200″ highlight_effect=”circle” loop_animation=”off” highlight_width=”9″ highlight_top_margin=”0″ before_text=”” rotation_text=”” highlight_text=”” after_text=”” title_link=”off” link_url=”” link_target=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” content_align_medium=”” content_align_small=”” content_align=”left” size=”1″ animated_font_size=”” fusion_font_family_title_font=”” fusion_font_variant_title_font=”” font_size=”” line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” text_transform=”” text_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” animated_text_color=”” text_shadow=”no” text_shadow_vertical=”” text_shadow_horizontal=”” text_shadow_blur=”0″ text_shadow_color=”” margin_top_medium=”” margin_right_medium=”” margin_bottom_medium=”” margin_left_medium=”” margin_top_small=”” margin_right_small=”” margin_bottom_small=”” margin_left_small=”” margin_top=”” margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_left=”” margin_top_mobile=”” margin_bottom_mobile=”” gradient_font=”no” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ highlight_color=”” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” link_color=”” link_hover_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]

Episode 9 – Wakhúwapi (Hunting)

[/fusion_title][fusion_separator style_type=”single solid” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” flex_grow=”0″ top_margin=”0″ bottom_margin=”40px” width=”200px” alignment=”left” border_size=”3px” sep_color=”#8b1b1f” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” icon=”” icon_size=”” icon_color=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” /][fusion_code]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[/fusion_code][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” content_alignment_medium=”” content_alignment_small=”” content_alignment=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” margin_top=”2%” margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_left=”” fusion_font_family_text_font=”” fusion_font_variant_text_font=”” font_size=”” line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” text_transform=”” text_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]

As we gear up for the coming winter, many of our families are preparing by gathering foods, preserving, hunting, and stocking up on supplies. In this episode we visit with various speakers about their experiences hunting. From the proud feelings of getting your first kill, to funny mistakes made, and eerie stories of Deer Woman, we get just a glimpse into the life and experiences of a modern Lakota hunter.

Speakers in this episode include: Bill Baylee One Horn (Oglála), Ben Black Bear Jr (Sičháŋǧu), Alex White Plume (Oglála), Wilber Witt (Oglála), Jerry Yellow Hawk (Cheyenne River), Robert Two Crow (Oglála), and Alex FireThunder (Oglála).

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Episode 8 – Itóǧiŋ Kitȟúŋpi (Halloween)

[fusion_builder_container type=”flex” hundred_percent=”no” hundred_percent_height=”no” min_height_medium=”” min_height_small=”” min_height=”” hundred_percent_height_scroll=”no” align_content=”stretch” flex_align_items=”flex-start” flex_justify_content=”center” flex_column_spacing=”” hundred_percent_height_center_content=”yes” equal_height_columns=”no” container_tag=”div” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” status=”published” publish_date=”” class=”” id=”” margin_top_medium=”” margin_bottom_medium=”” margin_top_small=”” margin_bottom_small=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top_medium=”” padding_right_medium=”” padding_bottom_medium=”” padding_left_medium=”” padding_top_small=”” padding_right_small=”” padding_bottom_small=”” padding_left_small=”” padding_top=”2%” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”1%” padding_left=”” link_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” link_hover_color=”” border_sizes_top=”” border_sizes_right=”” border_sizes_bottom=”” border_sizes_left=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” box_shadow=”no” box_shadow_vertical=”” box_shadow_horizontal=”” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ box_shadow_color=”” box_shadow_style=”” z_index=”” overflow=”” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_color=”” background_image=”” skip_lazy_load=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_blend_mode=”none” video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” pattern_bg=”none” pattern_custom_bg=”” pattern_bg_color=”” pattern_bg_style=”default” pattern_bg_opacity=”100″ pattern_bg_size=”” pattern_bg_blend_mode=”normal” mask_bg=”none” mask_custom_bg=”” mask_bg_color=”” mask_bg_accent_color=”” mask_bg_style=”default” mask_bg_opacity=”100″ mask_bg_transform=”left” mask_bg_blend_mode=”normal” render_logics=”” absolute=”off” absolute_devices=”small,medium,large” sticky=”off” sticky_devices=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_background_color=”” sticky_height=”” sticky_offset=”” sticky_transition_offset=”0″ scroll_offset=”0″ animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”3_4″ layout=”3_4″ align_self=”auto” content_layout=”column” align_content=”flex-start” valign_content=”flex-start” content_wrap=”wrap” spacing=”” center_content=”no” column_tag=”div” link=”” target=”_self” link_description=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” background_image_id=”” type_medium=”” type_small=”” order_medium=”0″ order_small=”0″ spacing_left_medium=”” spacing_right_medium=”” spacing_left_small=”” spacing_right_small=”” spacing_left=”” spacing_right=”” margin_top_medium=”” margin_bottom_medium=”” margin_top_small=”” margin_bottom_small=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top_medium=”” padding_right_medium=”” padding_bottom_medium=”” padding_left_medium=”” padding_top_small=”” padding_right_small=”” padding_bottom_small=”” padding_left_small=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”4%” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”4%” hover_type=”none” border_sizes_top=”” border_sizes_right=”” border_sizes_bottom=”” border_sizes_left=”” border_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” border_style=”solid” border_radius_top_left=”” border_radius_top_right=”” border_radius_bottom_right=”” border_radius_bottom_left=”” box_shadow=”no” box_shadow_vertical=”” box_shadow_horizontal=”” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ box_shadow_color=”” box_shadow_style=”” z_index_subgroup=”regular” z_index=”” z_index_hover=”” overflow=”” background_type=”single” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_color=”” background_image=”” lazy_load=”avada” skip_lazy_load=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_blend_mode=”none” render_logics=”” sticky=”off” sticky_devices=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_offset=”” filter_type=”regular” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″ transform_type=”regular” transform_scale_x=”1″ transform_scale_y=”1″ transform_translate_x=”0″ transform_translate_y=”0″ transform_rotate=”0″ transform_skew_x=”0″ transform_skew_y=”0″ transform_origin=”” transform_scale_x_hover=”1″ transform_scale_y_hover=”1″ transform_translate_x_hover=”0″ transform_translate_y_hover=”0″ transform_rotate_hover=”0″ transform_skew_x_hover=”0″ transform_skew_y_hover=”0″ animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”true” border_position=”all” first=”true”][fusion_title title_type=”text” rotation_effect=”bounceIn” display_time=”1200″ highlight_effect=”circle” loop_animation=”off” highlight_width=”9″ highlight_top_margin=”0″ before_text=”” rotation_text=”” highlight_text=”” after_text=”” title_link=”off” link_url=”” link_target=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” content_align_medium=”” content_align_small=”” content_align=”left” size=”1″ animated_font_size=”” fusion_font_family_title_font=”” fusion_font_variant_title_font=”” font_size=”” line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” text_transform=”” text_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” animated_text_color=”” text_shadow=”no” text_shadow_vertical=”” text_shadow_horizontal=”” text_shadow_blur=”0″ text_shadow_color=”” margin_top_medium=”” margin_right_medium=”” margin_bottom_medium=”” margin_left_medium=”” margin_top_small=”” margin_right_small=”” margin_bottom_small=”” margin_left_small=”” margin_top=”” margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_left=”” margin_top_mobile=”” margin_bottom_mobile=”” gradient_font=”no” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ highlight_color=”” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” link_color=”” link_hover_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]

Episode 8 – Itóǧiŋ Kitȟúŋpi (Halloween)

[/fusion_title][fusion_separator style_type=”single solid” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” flex_grow=”0″ top_margin=”0″ bottom_margin=”40px” width=”200px” alignment=”left” border_size=”3px” sep_color=”#8b1b1f” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” icon=”” icon_size=”” icon_color=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” /][fusion_code]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[/fusion_code][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” content_alignment_medium=”” content_alignment_small=”” content_alignment=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” margin_top=”2%” margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_left=”” fusion_font_family_text_font=”” fusion_font_variant_text_font=”” font_size=”” line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” text_transform=”” text_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]

It’s mid-october, the temperatures are dropping, the leaves are not only changing but also falling, and many of our children throughout Lakota country are getting excited for Halloween. While this holiday is not a traditional holiday in Lakota culture, we do have some spooky stories that have been told for generations. Some of these stories are part of the ohúŋkakaŋ legends often told to children at bedtime. In this episode, we hear some of these stories as they’re remembered by elders. In these stories are scary creatures or characters such as Íya, Hiŋháŋ Káǧa, Hiŋháŋ Ská and wanáǧi. We also talk about the meaning and symbolism behind some of these stories. We’d like to wish everyone a happy and safe spooky season!

Speakers in this episode include: Imogene Roy (Oglála), Leola One Feather (Oglála), Ben Black Bear Jr (Sičháŋǧu), Harriet Bring (Oglála), Wilber Witt (Oglála), Robert Two Crow (Oglála), and Alex FireThunder (Oglála).

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Episode 7 – Owáyawa (School)

[fusion_builder_container type=”flex” hundred_percent=”no” hundred_percent_height=”no” min_height_medium=”” min_height_small=”” min_height=”” hundred_percent_height_scroll=”no” align_content=”stretch” flex_align_items=”flex-start” flex_justify_content=”center” flex_column_spacing=”” hundred_percent_height_center_content=”yes” equal_height_columns=”no” container_tag=”div” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” status=”published” publish_date=”” class=”” id=”” margin_top_medium=”” margin_bottom_medium=”” margin_top_small=”” margin_bottom_small=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top_medium=”” padding_right_medium=”” padding_bottom_medium=”” padding_left_medium=”” padding_top_small=”” padding_right_small=”” padding_bottom_small=”” padding_left_small=”” padding_top=”2%” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”1%” padding_left=”” link_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” link_hover_color=”” border_sizes_top=”” border_sizes_right=”” border_sizes_bottom=”” border_sizes_left=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” box_shadow=”no” box_shadow_vertical=”” box_shadow_horizontal=”” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ box_shadow_color=”” box_shadow_style=”” z_index=”” overflow=”” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_color=”” background_image=”” skip_lazy_load=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_blend_mode=”none” video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” pattern_bg=”none” pattern_custom_bg=”” pattern_bg_color=”” pattern_bg_style=”default” pattern_bg_opacity=”100″ pattern_bg_size=”” pattern_bg_blend_mode=”normal” mask_bg=”none” mask_custom_bg=”” mask_bg_color=”” mask_bg_accent_color=”” mask_bg_style=”default” mask_bg_opacity=”100″ mask_bg_transform=”left” mask_bg_blend_mode=”normal” render_logics=”” absolute=”off” absolute_devices=”small,medium,large” sticky=”off” sticky_devices=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_background_color=”” sticky_height=”” sticky_offset=”” sticky_transition_offset=”0″ scroll_offset=”0″ animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”3_4″ layout=”3_4″ align_self=”auto” content_layout=”column” align_content=”flex-start” valign_content=”flex-start” content_wrap=”wrap” spacing=”” center_content=”no” column_tag=”div” link=”” target=”_self” link_description=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” background_image_id=”” type_medium=”” type_small=”” order_medium=”0″ order_small=”0″ spacing_left_medium=”” spacing_right_medium=”” spacing_left_small=”” spacing_right_small=”” spacing_left=”” spacing_right=”” margin_top_medium=”” margin_bottom_medium=”” margin_top_small=”” margin_bottom_small=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top_medium=”” padding_right_medium=”” padding_bottom_medium=”” padding_left_medium=”” padding_top_small=”” padding_right_small=”” padding_bottom_small=”” padding_left_small=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”4%” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”4%” hover_type=”none” border_sizes_top=”” border_sizes_right=”” border_sizes_bottom=”” border_sizes_left=”” border_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” border_style=”solid” border_radius_top_left=”” border_radius_top_right=”” border_radius_bottom_right=”” border_radius_bottom_left=”” box_shadow=”no” box_shadow_vertical=”” box_shadow_horizontal=”” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ box_shadow_color=”” box_shadow_style=”” z_index_subgroup=”regular” z_index=”” z_index_hover=”” overflow=”” background_type=”single” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_color=”” background_image=”” lazy_load=”avada” skip_lazy_load=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_blend_mode=”none” render_logics=”” sticky=”off” sticky_devices=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_offset=”” filter_type=”regular” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″ transform_type=”regular” transform_scale_x=”1″ transform_scale_y=”1″ transform_translate_x=”0″ transform_translate_y=”0″ transform_rotate=”0″ transform_skew_x=”0″ transform_skew_y=”0″ transform_origin=”” transform_scale_x_hover=”1″ transform_scale_y_hover=”1″ transform_translate_x_hover=”0″ transform_translate_y_hover=”0″ transform_rotate_hover=”0″ transform_skew_x_hover=”0″ transform_skew_y_hover=”0″ animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”true” border_position=”all” first=”true”][fusion_title title_type=”text” rotation_effect=”bounceIn” display_time=”1200″ highlight_effect=”circle” loop_animation=”off” highlight_width=”9″ highlight_top_margin=”0″ before_text=”” rotation_text=”” highlight_text=”” after_text=”” title_link=”off” link_url=”” link_target=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” content_align_medium=”” content_align_small=”” content_align=”left” size=”1″ animated_font_size=”” fusion_font_family_title_font=”” fusion_font_variant_title_font=”” font_size=”” line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” text_transform=”” text_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” animated_text_color=”” text_shadow=”no” text_shadow_vertical=”” text_shadow_horizontal=”” text_shadow_blur=”0″ text_shadow_color=”” margin_top_medium=”” margin_right_medium=”” margin_bottom_medium=”” margin_left_medium=”” margin_top_small=”” margin_right_small=”” margin_bottom_small=”” margin_left_small=”” margin_top=”” margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_left=”” margin_top_mobile=”” margin_bottom_mobile=”” gradient_font=”no” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ highlight_color=”” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” link_color=”” link_hover_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]

Episode 7 – Owáyawa (School)

[/fusion_title][fusion_separator style_type=”single solid” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” flex_grow=”0″ top_margin=”0″ bottom_margin=”40px” width=”200px” alignment=”left” border_size=”3px” sep_color=”#8b1b1f” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” icon=”” icon_size=”” icon_color=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” /][fusion_code]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[/fusion_code][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” content_alignment_medium=”” content_alignment_small=”” content_alignment=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” margin_top=”2%” margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_left=”” fusion_font_family_text_font=”” fusion_font_variant_text_font=”” font_size=”” line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” text_transform=”” text_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]

After a busy summer of many types of doings throughout Lakota country, we’re excited to be back with a new episode for the month of September. In this episode, in light of our students returning back to school, we discuss the topic of education. The speakers in this episode related their school experiences to language and tell about a time when certain schools and teachers forbid them from speaking their language. However, we also discuss how these schools have changed and many of them are now teaching the language. All in all, we’d like to encourage all of the students working hard to earn an education, as well as acknowledge all educators who dedicate their careers to helping the future generations.

There is also a plug for the Woksape Tipi – Library and Archives located on the Piya Wiconi Campus at Oglala Lakota College, please feel free to visit them to find Lakota language resources, listen to the raw interviews from this podcast, and speak Lakota with librarian, Darlene Bear Killer.

Speakers in this episode include: Wilber Witt (Oglála), Eugene Black Crow (Oglála), Harriet Bring (Oglála), Darlene Bear Killer (Oglala), Robert Two Crow (Oglála), and Alex FireThunder (Oglála).

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Posted on by — Leave a comment

‘Keep that fire going:’ Nonprofit aims to preserve Lakota language and culture – Denver7

[fusion_builder_container type=”flex” hundred_percent=”no” hundred_percent_height=”no” min_height_medium=”” min_height_small=”” min_height=”” hundred_percent_height_scroll=”no” align_content=”stretch” flex_align_items=”flex-start” flex_justify_content=”flex-start” flex_column_spacing=”” hundred_percent_height_center_content=”yes” equal_height_columns=”no” container_tag=”div” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” status=”published” publish_date=”” class=”” id=”” margin_top_medium=”” margin_bottom_medium=”” margin_top_small=”” margin_bottom_small=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top_medium=”” padding_right_medium=”” padding_bottom_medium=”” padding_left_medium=”” padding_top_small=”” padding_right_small=”” padding_bottom_small=”” padding_left_small=”” padding_top=”2%” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”1%” padding_left=”” link_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” link_hover_color=”” border_sizes_top=”” border_sizes_right=”” border_sizes_bottom=”” border_sizes_left=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” box_shadow=”no” box_shadow_vertical=”” box_shadow_horizontal=”” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ box_shadow_color=”” box_shadow_style=”” z_index=”” overflow=”” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_color=”” background_image=”” skip_lazy_load=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_blend_mode=”none” video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” pattern_bg=”none” pattern_custom_bg=”” pattern_bg_color=”” pattern_bg_style=”default” pattern_bg_opacity=”100″ pattern_bg_size=”” pattern_bg_blend_mode=”normal” mask_bg=”none” mask_custom_bg=”” mask_bg_color=”” mask_bg_accent_color=”” mask_bg_style=”default” mask_bg_opacity=”100″ mask_bg_transform=”left” mask_bg_blend_mode=”normal” render_logics=”” absolute=”off” absolute_devices=”small,medium,large” sticky=”off” sticky_devices=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_background_color=”” sticky_height=”” sticky_offset=”” sticky_transition_offset=”0″ scroll_offset=”0″ animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”3_4″ layout=”3_4″ align_self=”auto” content_layout=”column” align_content=”flex-start” valign_content=”flex-start” content_wrap=”wrap” spacing=”” center_content=”no” column_tag=”div” link=”” target=”_self” link_description=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” background_image_id=”” type_medium=”” type_small=”” order_medium=”0″ order_small=”0″ spacing_left_medium=”” spacing_right_medium=”” spacing_left_small=”” spacing_right_small=”” spacing_left=”” spacing_right=”” margin_top_medium=”” margin_bottom_medium=”” margin_top_small=”” margin_bottom_small=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top_medium=”” padding_right_medium=”” padding_bottom_medium=”” padding_left_medium=”” padding_top_small=”” padding_right_small=”” padding_bottom_small=”” padding_left_small=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”4%” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”4%” hover_type=”none” border_sizes_top=”” border_sizes_right=”” border_sizes_bottom=”” border_sizes_left=”” border_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” border_style=”solid” border_radius_top_left=”” border_radius_top_right=”” border_radius_bottom_right=”” border_radius_bottom_left=”” box_shadow=”no” box_shadow_vertical=”” box_shadow_horizontal=”” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ box_shadow_color=”” box_shadow_style=”” z_index_subgroup=”regular” z_index=”” z_index_hover=”” overflow=”” background_type=”single” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ background_color=”” background_image=”” lazy_load=”avada” skip_lazy_load=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_blend_mode=”none” render_logics=”” sticky=”off” sticky_devices=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_offset=”” filter_type=”regular” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″ transform_type=”regular” transform_scale_x=”1″ transform_scale_y=”1″ transform_translate_x=”0″ transform_translate_y=”0″ transform_rotate=”0″ transform_skew_x=”0″ transform_skew_y=”0″ transform_origin=”” transform_scale_x_hover=”1″ transform_scale_y_hover=”1″ transform_translate_x_hover=”0″ transform_translate_y_hover=”0″ transform_rotate_hover=”0″ transform_skew_x_hover=”0″ transform_skew_y_hover=”0″ animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”false” border_position=”all” first=”true”][fusion_title title_type=”text” rotation_effect=”bounceIn” display_time=”1200″ highlight_effect=”circle” loop_animation=”off” highlight_width=”9″ highlight_top_margin=”0″ before_text=”” rotation_text=”” highlight_text=”” after_text=”” title_link=”off” link_url=”” link_target=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” content_align_medium=”” content_align_small=”” content_align=”left” size=”1″ animated_font_size=”” fusion_font_family_title_font=”” fusion_font_variant_title_font=”” font_size=”” line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” text_transform=”” text_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” animated_text_color=”” text_shadow=”no” text_shadow_vertical=”” text_shadow_horizontal=”” text_shadow_blur=”0″ text_shadow_color=”” margin_top_medium=”” margin_right_medium=”” margin_bottom_medium=”” margin_left_medium=”” margin_top_small=”” margin_right_small=”” margin_bottom_small=”” margin_left_small=”” margin_top=”” margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”-1%” margin_left=”” margin_top_mobile=”” margin_bottom_mobile=”” gradient_font=”no” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ highlight_color=”” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” link_color=”” link_hover_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]

‘Keep that fire going:’ Nonprofit aims to preserve Lakota language and culture

[/fusion_title][fusion_title title_type=”text” rotation_effect=”bounceIn” display_time=”1200″ highlight_effect=”circle” loop_animation=”off” highlight_width=”9″ highlight_top_margin=”0″ before_text=”” rotation_text=”” highlight_text=”” after_text=”” title_link=”off” link_url=”” link_target=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” content_align_medium=”” content_align_small=”” content_align=”left” size=”3″ animated_font_size=”” fusion_font_family_title_font=”” fusion_font_variant_title_font=”” font_size=”” line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” text_transform=”” text_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” animated_text_color=”” text_shadow=”no” text_shadow_vertical=”” text_shadow_horizontal=”” text_shadow_blur=”0″ text_shadow_color=”” margin_top_medium=”” margin_right_medium=”” margin_bottom_medium=”” margin_left_medium=”” margin_top_small=”” margin_right_small=”” margin_bottom_small=”” margin_left_small=”” margin_top=”” margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”10px” margin_left=”” margin_top_mobile=”” margin_bottom_mobile=”” gradient_font=”no” gradient_start_color=”” gradient_end_color=”” gradient_start_position=”0″ gradient_end_position=”100″ gradient_type=”linear” radial_direction=”center center” linear_angle=”180″ highlight_color=”” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” link_color=”” link_hover_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]

Lakota Language Consortium hosts two-day class in Denver

[/fusion_title][fusion_separator style_type=”single solid” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” flex_grow=”0″ top_margin=”10px” bottom_margin=”10px” width=”200px” alignment=”left” border_size=”3px” sep_color=”#8b1b1f” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” icon=”” icon_size=”” icon_color=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” /][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” content_alignment_medium=”” content_alignment_small=”” content_alignment=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” margin_top=”” margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_left=”” fusion_font_family_text_font=”” fusion_font_variant_text_font=”” font_size=”12″ line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” text_transform=”” text_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]

Colette Bordelon | Denver7 | November 6, 2022

[/fusion_text][fusion_imageframe image_id=”11713|full” aspect_ratio=”” custom_aspect_ratio=”100″ aspect_ratio_position=”” skip_lazy_load=”” lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” lightbox_image_id=”” alt=”” link=”” linktarget=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” max_width=”” sticky_max_width=”” align_medium=”none” align_small=”none” align=”none” mask=”” custom_mask=”” mask_size=”” mask_custom_size=”” mask_position=”” mask_custom_position=”” mask_repeat=”” style_type=”” blur=”” stylecolor=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” hover_type=”none” margin_top_medium=”” margin_right_medium=”” margin_bottom_medium=”” margin_left_medium=”” margin_top_small=”” margin_right_small=”” margin_bottom_small=”” margin_left_small=”” margin_top=”” margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_left=”” bordersize=”” bordercolor=”” borderradius=”” z_index=”” caption_style=”off” caption_align_medium=”none” caption_align_small=”none” caption_align=”none” caption_title=”” caption_text=”” caption_title_tag=”2″ fusion_font_family_caption_title_font=”” fusion_font_variant_caption_title_font=”” caption_title_size=”” caption_title_line_height=”” caption_title_letter_spacing=”” caption_title_transform=”” caption_title_color=”” caption_background_color=”” fusion_font_family_caption_text_font=”” fusion_font_variant_caption_text_font=”” caption_text_size=”” caption_text_line_height=”” caption_text_letter_spacing=”” caption_text_transform=”” caption_text_color=”” caption_border_color=”” caption_overlay_color=”” caption_margin_top=”” caption_margin_right=”” caption_margin_bottom=”” caption_margin_left=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″]https://lakhota.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/221106-keepthatfire.jpg[/fusion_imageframe][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” content_alignment_medium=”” content_alignment_small=”” content_alignment=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” margin_top=”” margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_left=”” fusion_font_family_text_font=”” fusion_font_variant_text_font=”” font_size=”12″ line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” text_transform=”” text_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]

A two-day class was hosted by the Lakota Language Consortium at the Hyatt Hotel in Cherry Creek.

[/fusion_text][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” content_alignment_medium=”” content_alignment_small=”” content_alignment=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” margin_top=”” margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_left=”” fusion_font_family_text_font=”” fusion_font_variant_text_font=”” font_size=”” line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” text_transform=”” text_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]

DENVER — November is Native American Heritage Month, and the first weekend of the month coincided with a class in Denver aimed at preserving and protecting the Lakota language.

The two-day session was hosted by a nonprofit organization called the Lakota Language Consortium, which says Native American languages “in the United States are in the middle of a deadly crisis that has been unfolding for the last 400 years.”

The group reports that the last generation of first-language speakers is currently in their 70s and that the language has not been taught to the next generation since the 1950s. According to the Lakota Language Consortium, less than 100 of 500 Native Americans are still spoken. However, Lakota is one of only eight Native American languages with more than 5,000 speakers, meaning it’s in the top 5% of surviving languages.

“It’s the essence of our identity,” said the Deputy Director of the Lakota Language Consortium, Alex FireThunder. “The language is one of the ways that we connect with each other. It’s the way that our ancestors connected with each other. They spoke this language. They shared this language with the coming generations.”

FireThunder also worked as the instructor of the class held in Cherry Creek over the weekend. He said the sessions have been held across the country, wherever there is a desire or need.

“It’s a lifelong journey that I’m on, forever learning the Lakota language,” FireThunder said. “To me, it’s not about teaching. It’s more about sharing, it’s just sharing knowledge that was shared with me… If we don’t do that, the language doesn’t survive.”

One of the students in the class was Deanna Guerra, who has lived in Denver her whole life.

“When I was a young child, my mother was killed. I lost all connections to my relatives to my family,” Guerra said. “I’m on a journey for her.”

Guerra said in recent years, she has found family members who connected her with her heritage.

“It was so lost, and I just hope I can keep that fire going,” Guerra said. “Make my ancestors proud, make my mother and my daughter proud, and encourage my relatives and all the Native community to get our language back.”

[/fusion_text][fusion_separator style_type=”single solid” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” flex_grow=”0″ top_margin=”10px” bottom_margin=”10px” width=”” alignment=”left” border_size=”3px” sep_color=”#8b1b1f” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” icon=”” icon_size=”” icon_color=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” /][fusion_button link=”https://lakhota.org/news/” title=”” target=”_self” link_attributes=”” alignment_medium=”” alignment_small=”” alignment=”” modal=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” sticky_display=”normal,sticky” class=”” id=”” color=”custom” button_gradient_top_color=”rgba(139,27,31,0)” hue=”” saturation=”” lightness=”” alpha=”” button_gradient_bottom_color=”rgba(139,27,31,0)” button_gradient_top_color_hover=”rgba(51,51,51,0)” button_gradient_bottom_color_hover=”rgba(51,51,51,0)” gradient_start_position=”” gradient_end_position=”” gradient_type=”” radial_direction=”” linear_angle=”180″ accent_color=”#000000″ accent_hover_color=”#000000″ type=”flat” bevel_color=”” bevel_color_hover=”” border_top=”” border_right=”” border_bottom=”” border_left=”” border_radius_top_left=”” border_radius_top_right=”” border_radius_bottom_right=”” border_radius_bottom_left=”” border_color=”” border_hover_color=”” size=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”0″ padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”0″ fusion_font_family_button_font=”Inter” fusion_font_variant_button_font=”400″ font_size=”” line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” text_transform=”” stretch=”no” margin_top=”” margin_right=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_left=”” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]<< Back to News[/fusion_button][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_global id=”11370″]
[/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Waníyetu-Wí (November) 2022 Newsletter

[fusion_builder_container type=”flex” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” overlay_color=”” video_preview_image=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” padding_right=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”3_4″ layout=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” center_content=”no” last=”true” min_height=”” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_sizes_top=”” border_sizes_bottom=”” border_sizes_left=”” border_sizes_right=”” first=”true”][fusion_text]

The latest news, upcoming events, and new materials from Lakota Language Consortium.

News & Recent Events

Denver Language Weekend

This week is your final chance to register for the Denver Lakota Language Weekend happening on November 5th and 6th. This two-day course will be in-person at the University of Denver. Lunch will be provided. Registrants have a choice between two learning tracks: beginner and intermediate. The beginner track is for those who are attending a language weekend for the first time or who are interested in reviewing the basics. The intermediate track is for learners who have built a good foundation in their language journey. This track tackles more complex conversations and grammar lessons.

We are excited to be in the Denver area again this year and are incredibly thankful to the University of Denver for hosting us! We can’t wait to see you and to make fun memories together while learning Lakota.

Register Now

Scholarship

If you are Lakota and are interested in participating in this Lakota Language Weekend, we do have scholarships available so you can attend for free! The scholarship will waive the cost of the registration fee. Scholarship recipients will be responsible for their own travel expenses (Lunch will be provided during the session). Email info@lakhota.org for additional details on how to apply.

Welcoming the Deputy Director of LLC

We are happy to introduce our Deputy Director Alex FireThunder. Alex has been working in Lakota language revitalization in learning, teaching, and most recently parenting in the last ten years. He is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and resides in the Medicine Root District in Kyle, SD with his wife and their two sons. Alex graduated from Oglala Lakota College with a BSW in Social Work, MA in Lakota Leadership, and Lakota Language Certificate.

Alex taught Lakota for four years at Little Wound School and has been teaching for the Lakota Language Consortium since 2017. He is a musician and song composer of both traditional and contemporary Lakota music. He founded Hóyeya, a platform for promoting Lakota language content, and won a NAMMY award in 2019. He believes language is a key element to a strong Lakota identity and hopes to assist in empowering communities via language revitalization.

Alex has been working officially in his role as Deputy Director for the past two months and you may have seen him at recent events such as the Ella Deloria Release, the L/D/N Language Summit, and ICLCLE Conference. He has since been supporting teachers and schools with training on how to use Owóksape in the classroom and providing support where needed. His years of teaching provide a unique insight into how LLC can better support the efforts of teachers across the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ. We are excited to welcome Alex into his role and look forward to working alongside him!

If you are a teacher or educational institution that is looking for support with Owóksape or navigating the various materials that are available email info@lakhota.org.

The Language Summit

Earlier this month the LLC staff and board had the opportunity to attend Tusweca Tiospaye’s 11th Annual Language Summit in Rapid City, SD. We held a booth for 2 of the 3 days of the summit, listened in on the sessions, and had a lot of great conversations. The theme of the conference was “Uniting the Seven Council Fires to Save our Language”. We met with old friends and made new ones and overall it was an amazing weekend of community. Click here to read more. 

NLD Mobile Beta – Testing Soon!

We’ve reached another milestone that brings us closer to the release of the NLD 3.0. Woohoo! The NLD has officially begun beta testing on iOS (Apple) platforms. 

The teams, teachers, and learners at LSI who have been involved in the beta testing are making sure the NLD is running smoothly. Over 400 native speakers have used their knowledge and wisdom to create one of the most accurate and up-to-date learning tools for Lakota language. The collaboration resulted in a total of 40,838 Lakota word entries and 53,000 example sentences. The NLD makes those elders’ contributions accessible and opens up more opportunities for second language learners to have conversations using the language.

Tókša akhé  – the LLC Team

Donate Now

Check Out The Bookstore

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list


[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_global id=”11370″][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Posted on by — Leave a comment

My First Solo Lesson With The Lakȟótiya Wóglaka Po

Nice to meet you! I’m Jamie Marquez-Bratcher, a Lakota Language Learner since 2020. I’m Oglala Lakota and chicano woman raised in the Schitsu’umsh (Coeur d’Alene) territory. My mother and I started learning Lakota to speak with each other and reconnect to our culture through language. My great grandmother Dorothy White Magpie passed two years after the Native American Language Act passed when many Lakota people like her felt passing on the culture would do more damage than good. My grandmother Darlene Red Bear passed before healing emotionally enough to share our culture effectively. Our family is working toward reclaiming our language and connecting with lost family through this slow mending process, just as many others do as well. It’s been a remarkable emotional journey to attend Lakota language classes and meet people who knew our loved ones when they were alive.

About The Author
While my partner, daughter, and I are typically based out of Arizona, we currently travel full time in an RV across the country. I also have an adult daughter that recently graduated from ASU. I work with the Lakota Language consortium as a Digital Media Specialist. After leaving a long career in Communications Technology Sales, I started freelancing, managing operations, and content creation for other businesses. When I’m not working, I enjoy hobbies such as creative planning and beadwork.

 

About This Series
I’ve partnered with the Lakota Language Consortium to share my observations using the materials the LLC has created on my personal learning journey. This blog post is the first in a series while I work though the materials to enhance my personal language journey.  While I hope this series is encouraging to anyone that’s reading it, I hope it’s especially encouraging to those reclaiming our culture in healthy ways such as language reclamation. 

 

Last year when LSI (Lakota Summer Institute) ended, I picked up the Lakȟótiya Wóglaka Po textbooks and the Grammar book. My intention was to get through this textbook and the other 4 before LSI started in 2022 so that I might feel confident in joining a more advanced class than I took last year. Fast forward to January of 2022, I’m just now getting around to cracking open the Level 1 textbook.

 

Before I got started, I grabbed my phone, opened up Apple Music (also a first) and searched for the Lakota Language Consortium, and found the audio portion of the lesson to stream. When I read through the acknowledgments of the textbook, it was neat to see so many Lakota people involved in the making of this textbook. A few pages in, I ran into an introduction page explaining how to use the book and wondered if I had somehow gotten a teacher’s textbook accidentally. Later, I would learn that the Level 1 textbook and teacher guide is 1 book since it is the oldest textbook in the series. 

 

I click “play” on the audio, and I’m greeted with catchy music and a soothing voice introducing me to the book. The audio jumped right into the lesson on page (10) of the textbook. I wasn’t ready. All the words were on the page, I had heard all these words before, but I wasn’t as prepared as I thought to follow along. I started the track over, and this time I responded with the speaker as he read down the page. I was thrilled that I knew many of the words and concepts after attending various Lakota language events. 

 

I read through the corresponding page (11) that was labeled “For Teachers and Parents (Unit 1)”. This gave a significant amount of detail on how the exercises should work in a classroom. It gave me an idea of how a teacher could encourage students to work through this lesson one word at a time. Lastly, there was a helpful section providing additional context for some words that were regional or that had alternate pronunciations.

 

I was so proud of myself for getting through lesson 1 that I quickly moved on to lesson 2. This lesson asked me to observe objects that I would see in a classroom. The phrase “Lé táku he?” was introduced to create corresponding responses. This is my a-ha moment. Although I wasn’t in a classroom, many of the objects in the lesson were sitting next to me in my own home. One object was my coffee cup.  I said to myself, “Lé wíyatke héčha.” The pencil I was holding “lé táku he?” “lé wíčazo héčha.”

 

I went through my junk drawer and found a roll of tape, and wrote the words onto it with a marker. I felt silly at first labeling areas that I keep my wakšíča, wówapi, and other objects highlighted in the unit. I was also glad to have clear reminders everywhere of these ideas and words I want to use to describe the world around me in my language.

 

Once I finished up with my labeling, I came back to the lesson. As I listened to the audio again and felt like these words were closer to becoming part of our family’s daily vocabulary. Just like in the first section, I found some additional notes with a few more words that are commonly used, like minísapa wíčazo – the term for a pen. 

 

The audio for Lesson 2 had a bonus section that allowed more opportunities to use the phrases in a different order for the objects on the page. I had to listen a few times before I matched the audio to the page, but I found all the objects in the end. 

 

With this being something that I had put off for so many months, I was surprised when I realized it took only about 45 minutes to complete these first few lessons. As I looked ahead, I realized there were more opportunities to listen to audio and match my learning, and even get some adult coloring time in on the lessons as well. 

 

I often think that my Lakota Language learning experience needs hours of preparation, planning, and guidelines with someone more experienced to help me. Reflecting on this first solo experience with this textbook, I wish I wouldn’t have let months of procrastination get the better of me. If you’ve got one of these books at your disposal, take a bit of time to get the first lesson done, and when you finish, drop me an email introducing yourself with that first lesson!

 

You can find the Lakȟótiya Wóglaka Po textbooks in the LLCBookstore. This book was created in 2004 and is part 1 of a 5 textbook series. If you are an educator and need more information on Lakota educational resources you can reach out to customersupport@lakhota.org.

Are you a Tribal member that would like to get started learning Lakota and need assistance accessing materials? Check out this previous blog post about Free Resources to get started Learning. You can also reach out to  customersupport@lakhota.org to request materials at no or low cost to get started on your learning journey.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

App Update – New Lakota Dictionary Pro Mobile App Version 3.0

The New Lakota Dictionary Pro Mobile app (NLD) version 3.0 update was released for Apple and Android devices in July of 2021. The NLD Mobile app is the best way to look up Lakota words, hear the pronunciation, and view thousands of example sentences while on the go. It’s the ultimate electronic Lakota learning and reference tool.

The New Lakota Dictionary was created with ongoing partnerships with over 400 native speakers to ensure accuracy not only in spelling and definition but in context as well. This is an invaluable resource for Lakota learners everywhere and is easily accessible to anyone with a mobile device. When a user searches a word, they are presented with multiple definitions and spellings depending on the context in which the word is being used, as well as example sentences to demonstrate the word in a complete Lakota phrase. A total of 31,000-word entries and 53,000 example sentences makes the New Lakota Dictionary Version 3.0 the most in-depth Lakota dictionary available, and an important tool in Lakota language learning and preservation.

What’s new in version 3.0? 

  • 6,000 new entries – 31,000 total words
  • 13,000 new sample sentences – 53,000 total sentences
  • Male and female voices for audio
  • Consistent phonemic spelling – Standard Lakota Orthography
  • Superior cross-referencing capabilities
  • Faster and more responsive than online versions
  • Works offline, without an active data connection
  • Built-in lemmatizer simplifies searching to find related results that have different word endings & compounding
  • Over 400 native speakers involved in its development and review
  • Regularly updated
  • Accurate and reliable
  • Fun to use and explore
  • An excellent self-study investment

With the addition of 6,000 new entries and 13,000 new example sentences, this updated version builds on decades of linguistic work to create the most accurate up-to-date dictionary possible. 

The lemmatizer is one of the biggest advantages of the app when compared to the printed version of the NLD. Many Lakota words and sentences rely on guttural tones and stops. Affixes are added to words all the time, so unless you know the stem of the word with affixes, you won’t be able to find it in the dictionary. Fortunately, this app does that for you, if you time in the word e.g. waŋwičhablake the app will show you the entry for the stem word waŋyánka.

The New Lakota Dictionary – Mobile Version 3.0 is available now for download or update on your Apple or Android devices. 

Click Here for the Android

Click here for the Apple App Store

 

Release Notes Update: Additional Android Instruction

Friday, July 9th LLC released an update to the NLD in the Apple and Android stores. While the Apple update had no issues, some Android users encountered issues downloading the update. Our tech team worked with Google and users to resolve errors reported over the weekend. As of Monday, July 12, Google’s representatives have advised us the problem is resolved. Android users should have no issues downloading or updating the NLD Mobile App on their Android devices. 

If you have experienced this issue, we recommend you uninstall and reinstall the app or attempt to update the version. Before you get started, make sure you have a stable internet connection and that there is enough space on your device for this download of 174 MB (learn how to check your space here, or free up storage here). Once you have downloaded the NLD Mobile, make sure you do not allow your device to fall into sleep mode until the content inside the app is fully downloaded. Depending on the internet speed to your device this additional download may take 3 – 30 minutes and when complete. Again this will consume 174 MB of storage on the device when fully downloaded.

If you have any issues with the NLD Mobile App on Android or other apps you can email tech@lakhota.org for additional support.