One thing we noticed at last year’s Lakota Summer Institute was how well some of the newcomers were speaking Lakota. Paulette R. High Elk commented, “When we had the opening ceremony, all of the new people introduced themselves in Lakota. I was very impressed!” We asked some participants what their secret was, and many responded…the Lakota Language Forum!

If you are not part of the forum yet, make yourself an account (it’s FREE). The forum currently hosts over 10,000 members and 60,000 posts, and it’s growing! It’s a great place to get introduced to the language, practice listening, reading, writing, and to connect with fellow learners.

Don’t get us wrong, Facebook is great, but it’s more of a news source. Posting a language-related question on Facebook will surely get you many fast replies, but how reliable will those responses be? In the Lakota Language Forum, you can be sure that experienced people with Lakota language background will join the discussion and answer your question.

Still need more reasons to join? Here’s a list of pros:

1. All discussion is moderated. This means the atmosphere is friendly and respectful.

• Nervous to join the forum? Well, don’t be! Everyone is learning Lakota at their own pace and makes mistakes. Rest easy knowing that the privacy of the forum is much better than Facebook!

2. Need to search a word or phrase? No problem! Finding older questions and answer is much easier than on Facebook. Instead of endlessly scrolling through a newsfeed, you can simply use the search function. You can also search your own posts for the question you asked, say, 4 years ago!

3. Additionally, you can double click any word in the forum to see its entry from the dictionary, right in the same window!

4. The “Sentence of the Week” forum page is a great method for beginners to get a sense for Lakota sentence structure, and to learn new vocabulary all the while doing this.

• You can also learn from sentences other learners wrote and from mistakes other learners have made. The forum is made for discussion and collaboration, so all sentences are easily accessible in one place.
• For advanced learners and contributors, reading material is available—a great way to develop language skills.  This material is read and translated together. Here are some examples:
  • The Turtle https://www.lakotadictionary.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3242#p38621
  • Iktomi Takes his Mother-in-Law on the Warpath https://www.lakotadictionary.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1819#p18469

5. Audio files are also easily accessible, so you can better familiarize yourself with Lakota pronunciation and speech!

If you’ve been to LSI, you know that every year the organizers of the institute plan something exciting. Last year participants and their families enjoyed a special pre-screening of Rising Voices/Hótȟaŋiŋpi, and in 2014 participants had the opportunity to take a Lakota/Dakota Drama and Performance class, which culminated in a production of Iktómi Lečhála Tȟawíčutȟuŋ (Iktomi’s New Wife).

There are no doubts that this year we’ve got something special up our sleeve. To celebrate LSI’s 10th Anniversary, we are very excited to welcome Scotti Clifford and Juliana Brown Eyes-Clifford, a.k.a. Scatter Their Own for a performance and guest lecture at LSI!

The dynamic duo has been gaining popularity on the Alternative Rock scene since before 2013! Now just kicking off their 2016 Spring Tour, STO were delighted to receive the invitation for LSI. In addition to a performance, Scotti and Juliana will give a guest lecture for the “Audio Materials Development” course and share their experiences in creating music.

If you haven’t heard them perform, check out their website or watch the video below. The group has described themselves as “Alter-Native Rock and Roll”:

SCATTER THEIR OWN, Scotti Clifford and Juliana Brown Eyes-Clifford, are an Alternative Rock Duo of Oglala Lakota ancestry from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation of South Dakota. Scotti Clifford has performed across the U.S. and Canada as a Vocalist, Back-up Vocalist, Bass-Player, Drummer, and Guitarist. But now the Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist fronts the newly formed duo with Bassist/Rhythm Guitarist/Backup Vocalist Juliana Brown Eyes-Clifford. Scatter Their Own, lyrically, pays tribute to the concepts and philosophy of their Lakota culture while fusing Alternative and Blues into what they would like to call Alter-Native Rock and Roll. They believe that their music celebrates Grandmother Earth.

Details about the performance time and place to come soon, but we hope this news gets you even MORE excited about this year’s institute…

You can follow updates about the upcoming performance on the Lakota Summer Institute 2016 Facebook Event Page. You can pre-register for Lakota Summer Institute at https://www.laksummerinst.com

You may find yourself asking, “What’s #MarkdownMonday?”

Starting today we will feature a Lakota language-learning resource every other Monday on our Facebook page and offer a discount code!

To kick off our new promotional campaign, this week we’re highlighting Ikotmi’s Raccoon Hat – a Lakota play performed at LSI in 2012. The long-awaited script for Iktómi Wičhítegleǧa Siŋté Waŋ Úŋ is finally here, complete with a synopsis, 9 scenes in Lakota and English, and a set suggestion page to stage your own production of the play!

You can purchase the script at the LLC Bookstore at the following link: https://www.llcbookstore.com/iktomi-wi-hitegle-a-si-te-wa-u-iktomis-racoon-hat-iktomi-play-series/  Use the code raccoonmonday to get a 25% discount at checkout! But hurry, this code will expire on Sunday ‪and next Monday we will feature a new product with a discount. 

Be sure to follow our Facebook page for all the updates and check out a video excerpt from the play below, performed at Sitting Bull College:

Háŋ mitákuyepi,

The 3rd edition of the Lakota Language Weekend will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Rapid City on April 2-3.

Last week, the LLC released a public announcement that there only 2,000 first-language Lakota speakers remain – a devastating 66% decrease in 10 years (Read the full press release here).

Now, more than ever, is the time to begin learning Lakota, to encourage and uplift others who are learning, and to meet people who are working hard to preserve and teach the language.

Join us in Rapid City for a full two-day workshop with classes for beginners, intermediate learners and fluent speakers (schedule to be announced soon). 

REGISTER NOW

We have reserved 20 rooms at the Hilton Garden Inn for a special price of $94/night, but Rapid City has many booking options (like the fun La Quinta, across the street).

If you would like to book a room at the Hilton Garden Inn, you can call the front desk (605) 791-9000 and mention that you are with the Lakota Language Consortium block.

Check out the flyer below for more information and join the Facebook event page for the latest updates. Registration for the event is a non-refundable fee of $20; you can register at this link. 

UPDATE (March 15): 

Exciting news – as part of this language weekend, we will have a Lakota Magic Show by magician Reuben Fast Horse! The show will be held in the same room as the language workshop on Saturday, April 2 at 8:30 PM

Check out this Bonus Video from Rising Voices/ Hótȟaŋiŋpi to learn more about Reuben:

Great news for everyone who didn’t get a chance to catch Rising Voices/Hótȟaŋiŋpi during its broadcasts in November 2015 –

the film is now available for public streaming on YouTube for free!

Our sister organization, The Language Conservancy, and partner Florentine Films/Hott Productions are proud to share the film with all the language warriors across the country (and beyond), working to preserve and revitalize their languages. We hope that this film will bring communities together, and inspire YOU to learn, teach or create resources for an endangered language, especially Lakota. We hope it inspires you to become part of the growing movement to preserve a part of America’s cultural heritage.

Although the film is now available for streaming, we are continuing to arrange public screenings at libraries, schools, universities and museums all over the country. The screenings are often followed by a discussion and/or a Q&A with Producer Lawrence Hott and Executive Producer Wilhelm Meya. Get in touch with us if you would like to bring this film to your community. Our updated screenings page can be found at this link. DVDs are still available for purchase here.

You can watch the film at the link below. Don’t forget to share this news with your friends and family!

We thank the sponsors that made this project possible: Vision Maker Media, the National Endowment for the Humanities, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Administration for Native Americans, the Dakota Indian Foundation, the South Dakota Humanities Council, and the North Dakota Humanities Council.

Lakota Language Now Critically Endangered

Only 2,000 first-language speakers remain

PIERRE, S.D.  – Lakota Language Consortium (LLC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and revitalization of the Lakota language, also known as Sioux, announced today that only 2,000 first-language speakers of Lakota remain – a decline of 66% in ten years.

Lakota, a language spoken on reservations in North and South Dakota, is one of the most well-known of America’s indigenous languages, and one of the few still spoken with a significant chance of survival. Lakota population is 170,000, but fluent speakers are a small fraction of that number.

In 2006, there were an estimated 6,000 first-language Lakota speakers.  Beginning 2016, LLC counted approximately only 2,000 remaining speakers – a loss of 4,000 in just 10 years.  The 66% loss in speakers equates to approximately 400 speakers lost each year.

Based on the new findings, Ethnologue, a catalogue of world languages, will now redesignate the Lakota language from “Threatened” to “Moribund”, with the special status of “Reawakening” – reflecting the community’s commitment to bringing back the language into every day use.

Ben Black Bear, a 69 year-old Lakota Elder and a first-language speaker, remarked, “I’ve been looking for good Lakota speakers, and the only ones I’ve found are older than me.  But there are young people interested in learning.   The challenge is getting them from ‘I want to learn’ to ‘What can I do to stop Lakota from disappearing?’”

For 10 years Mr. Black Bear has worked with the Lakota Language Consortium on numerous translation and recording projects, dubbing The Berenstain Bears into Lakota, and taking part in a language documentary, Rising Voices/Hóthaninpi, which premiered on public television in November 2015.

Despite the latest Lakota speaker count, Mr. Black Bear remains hopeful, “From the outside perspective, the language is in critical condition. But from the inside, from those of us living and speaking it, we just need to look at ourselves in a positive way to move the language forward.”

Lakota Language Consortium (LLC) is one of the most prominent nonprofit organizations working to save Native American languages. The group consists of schools and colleges across Lakota reservations, Native community leaders, linguists, and volunteers working together for the revitalization of Lakota.

For more information please visit https://lakhota.org

Or for Rising Voices/Hóthaninpi  www.risingvoicesfilm.com.

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10th Annual Lakota Summer Institute
Open for Registration

June 6-24, 2016

Sitting Bull College

Fort Yates, ND

Registration is now open.

Click here to Register

“For me, this was a spiritual journey which I will never forget.” 

– Rick Williams, LSI 2015 Participant

Read more at Tribal College Journal

Hundreds of Lakota educators and learners have embarked on a journey into the Lakota language at Lakota Summer Institute.

Join a vibrant, thriving community of Lakota teachers, learners and activists to see how Lakota language can change your life! See what participants from last year are saying here.

2016 marks the 10th Anniversary of LSI.

Don’t miss out!

In January 2016, the LLC updated its Lakota Keyboard and Fonts Bundle, courtesy of SoftMaker Fonts. Have you tried out the new fonts on your computer yet? Here are a few reasons why these fonts are so special…

1). Part of the Lakota revitalization effort is to move the language forward and help it adapt to an ever-evolving world of technology. Every day, Lakota learners and fluent speakers are using the language on Facebook, and using apps developed by the LLC to learn vocabulary and look up words.

2). Lakota has a number of unique sounds that require special letters. Most fonts out there don’t provide these letters. That’s why we’re so excited about this collaboration with SoftMaker, who have generously donated 20 fonts that cover the Lakota alphabet for Lakota language learners. This is one of the ways LLC collaborates with technology manufactures to make learning Lakota easier.

3). These fonts allow learners to be more creative with their writing and make it easier for them to incorporate the language into everyday use. Whether you are a teacher writing classroom materials, a community member printing powwow posters, a vendor producing signage in the language, or a tribal school designing fun-run T-shirts, these fonts give you the freedom to use the Lakota language with ease and pride.

4). It’s absolutely FREE. Waŋná Lakȟól’iya wanáȟtagyaya oyákihi ye! Now you too can type Lakota anywhere on your computer — whether you’re posting on Facebook, writing an email or typing a word document. This software includes 30 beautiful fonts so you can make your Lakota writing look the way you want it. Just look for the Lakota Keyboard Layout and Fonts Bundle on our Software and Downloads page here: https://lakhota.org/software-downloads/

To SoftMaker: Mas’óowa waštéšte kiŋ lená yéč’uŋpi kiŋ úŋ líla philáuŋyaŋpi. (Thank you for contributing these beautiful fonts!)

Háŋ mitákuyepi,

We are very happy to announce another Lakota Language Weekend! This edition of the workshop will be held at the Rosebud Casino (Event Center) on January 30-31. Don’t miss this chance to meet and learn alongside people who love the Lakota language as much as you do!

The workshop will include two full days of training for beginners and fluent speakers (schedule to be announced soon).

Check out the flyer below for more information. Registration for the event is a non-refundable fee of $20; you can register at this link, and follow updates on our Facebook event page.

Refreshments for both days will be provided, but participants are responsible for their own lodging. We have reserved a block of 25 rooms at the Quality Inn Rosebud Casino Hotel under “Lakota Language Consortium” for a special rate of $73.85 (tax included).

We also have news for those that can’t make it to this Lakota Language Weekend…We will be announcing the dates and registration for Lakota Summer Institute 2016 at the end of January – stay tuned!

Get in touch with us if you have any questions and continue to inspire each other in your Lakota language-learning journeys. Iyápi kiŋ gluhá máni po! 

Wóphila Tȟáŋka!
LLC Team

P.S. Don’t forget to share these news with your friends and family!