Latest in Lakota Language Consortium News

The Lakota Language Weekends in Rapid City, SD and Denver, CO were each a huge success.

The Language Weekends provided an opportunity to learn the language from experienced Lakota language teachers and to connect with other Lakota language learners in the area. Attendees also received discounted prices on Lakota learning materials sold by Lakota Language Consortium.

The Lakota Language Consortium would like to extend a special thank you to all of the participants from this year’s fall Lakota Language Weekends.

The Facebook album for Rapid City can be found here, and the Facebook album for Denver can be found here.

If you missed this opportunity, don’t worry! We’re in the process of planning Lakota Language Weekends in 2020, which will include one in Minneapolis.

Follow our Facebook page for more information.

This update comes with several changes to make Owóksape better for users.

Some of the changes include:
-Review algorithm updates, means better user experience and enhanced learning from getting more relevant review questions.
-User Interface changes, new background, loading icon, scroll to current unit, new logo (for desktop users), scrolling & text wrapping for long exercise questions.
-FAQ updates, more questions answered.
-Various bug fixes, such as apostrophe character validation, meaning different versions of the apostrophe character are interchangeable, and users don’t get questions wrong for using the wrong apostrophe.
-User data will be kept intact, and users can start back up where they left off.

So far all of the feedback has been extremely positive! If you want to share comments on your user experience, feel free to reach out to us!

Download the app today on the iTunes or Google Play app stores. To register for an account, please click here.

Instructions on how to register are featured below.

Chief Bald Eagle was a musician, actor, cowboy and war hero. You can read more about him here.

So far, the second video in the series has had about 500 viewers in the short time it has been out, and the feedback has also been just as positive as the first video.

The new educational video series on the Lakota language will introduce various patterns of the language (such as conjugation and word order), discuss interesting topics regarding teaching and learning Lakota, and offer intriguing perspectives on numerous areas related to the language. There will also be videos with narratives by fluent Lakota language speakers.

We plan to post several videos a year on the LLC YouTube channel, website, and Facebook. Stay tuned on these sites to hear the latest updates. The video will be posted to our Facebook page when it is released.

The second video can be found below.

The 20th Annual LNI Lakota Language Bowl will take place on December 18 and 19 at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.

The Lakota Language Bowl allows both Lakota and Dakota students an opportunity to compete using their linguistic knowledge.

The High School and Middle School competition will take place on December 18th, and the Elementary School competition will take place on December 19th.

Team registration is due by December 6th.

The Lakota Language Consortium will also present the Lakota Language Awards at the end of the competition on December 18th. Ben Black Bear will be announcing the awards, which are based on pre/post assessment test scores.

For more information or to register, visit the Lakota Language Bowl website.

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Latest in Lakota Language Consortium News

It’s not too late to register for one of the Lakota Language Weekends this fall! These events are perfect if you couldn’t make it to one of the Summer Institutes.

Language Weekends provide an opportunity to learn the language from experienced Lakota Language teachers and connect with other Lakota language learners in your area. Attendees also receive discounted prices on Lakota learning materials sold by Lakota Language Consortium.

Join us in Rapid City, SD on October 5th and 6th and/or Denver, CO on October 19th and 20th. 

Follow our Facebook page for more information.

This update comes with several changes to make Owóksape better for users.

Some of the changes include:
-Review algorithm updates, means better user experience and enhanced learning from getting more relevant review questions.
-User Interface changes, new background, loading icon, scroll to current unit, new logo (for desktop users), scrolling & text wrapping for long exercise questions.
-FAQ updates, more questions answered.
-Various bug fixes, such as apostrophe character validation, meaning different versions of the apostrophe character are interchangeable, and users don’t get questions wrong for using the wrong apostrophe.
-User data will be kept intact, and users can start back up where they left off.

We will formally launch Owóksape 2.0 during the NIEA Conference this month in Minneapolis. During the conference we will present “Owóksape: Innovative Online Indigenous Language Learning” in Room M100C from 8 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. on Friday, October 11th and in Room M100C from 8:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. on Saturday, October 12th.

Download the app today on the iTunes or Google Play app stores. To register for an account, please click here.

Photos of what the application looks like and instructions on how to register are featured below.

The new educational video series on the Lakota language will introduce various patterns of the language (such as conjugation and word order), discuss interesting topics regarding teaching and learning Lakota, and offer intriguing perspectives on numerous areas related to the language. There will also be videos with narratives by fluent Lakota language speakers.

We’re looking forward to the release of a second video, which will be released on October 20. This video will be an autobiographical narrative in Lakota by the late chief Dave Bald Eagle.

We plan to post several videos a year on the LLC YouTube channel, website, and Facebook. Stay tuned on these sites to hear the latest updates. The video will be posted to our Facebook page when it is released.

If you missed the first video on the History of Lakota Orthography, you can watch it by clicking on the link below.

The 20th Annual LNI Lakota Language Bowl will take place on December 18 and 19 at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.

The Lakota Language Bowl allows both Lakota and Dakota students an opportunity to compete using their linguistic knowledge.

The High School and Middle School competition will take place on December 18th, and the Elementary School competition will take place on December 19th.

Team registration is due by December 6th.

For more information or to register, visit the Lakota Language Bowl website.

We’re currently looking at Minneapolis, Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco. If you wish to make your preference known or want to recommend a different city, contact the Lakota Language Consortium on social media.

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Latest in Lakota Language Consortium News

This year’s class is represented by an 11-student cohort (Pictured above with professors Kim Campbell, front-center, and Jan Ulrich, 3rd from right)

This year, an exciting new partnership has formed between LLC’s sister organization The Language Conservancy and the University of North Dakota (UND). The program, Lakota Language Teaching and Learning (LLTL), is a 2-year degree which will certify students to teach Lakota in both tribal and public schools nationwide. Members of the cohort began their degree program this past July at the 2019 Lakota Summer Institute North, taking two courses: Lakota Linguistics for Teachers and Lakota Language. Future courses will cover Lakota grammar, communicative Lakota, and teaching methods.

Students will take 3 semesters of courses on UND’s campus, followed by one semester student teaching with a mentor. After graduating, they will go on to commit at least three years to teaching Lakota in any tribal or public school.

Learn more about the program on UND’s website.

Check out this video from INFORUM’s piece on LSI – North to hear one current LLTL student explain his motivation for pursuing this degree.

This summer, LLC instructors taught a total of 28 class sessions over the course of five weeks. At LSI South, five course tracks were offered – three beginner tracks, one pre-intermediate track, and one native speaker/teacher track. 70 students came to LSI South this year! At LSI North, three course tracks were offered – one beginner, one pre-intermediate, and one for the LLTL cohort. 30 students came to LSI North this year!

Special thanks to our partners at Oglala Lakota College and the University of North Dakota for their expertise in moderating and hosting the institutes. At both institutes, we are building a solid base of Lakota language warriors. We hope to see you in 2020!

We plan to post several videos a year on the LLC YouTube channel, website, and Facebook. Stay tuned on these sites to hear the latest updates.

Couldn’t make it to one of the Summer Institutes? There’s still a chance for you to join one of our programs this year! LLC is putting on two Lakota Language Weekends this Fall.

Join us in Rapid City, SD on October 5th-6th and/or Denver, CO on October 19th-20th.

Follow our Facebook page for more information, including locations!

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Latest in Lakota Language Consortium News

2019 Lakota Summer Institute North Group Picture

July 8th – July 26th

For three weeks, Lakota language learners and teachers gathered together at the University of North Dakota (UND) to bolster their language skills. Classes on teaching methods, grammar and communication methods took place providing a premier Lakota language learning.

The goal of this intensive program was to provide language learners with the tools they need to continue pursuing an understanding of the Lakota language.

Participants spent over 100 hours in the classroom, which contributed to an immersive Lakota experience. This year’s instructors included Jan Ullrich, Corey Yellow Boy, Kim Campbell, and Marek Kupeic.

“Our job as instructors is to give people the tools they need in order to continue learning the language,” says Kupeic.

This year there were 33 students at the Lakota Summer Institute North, all of whom demonstrated a superb level of commitment to the Lakota language. A few students had even participated in past Summer Institutes, so it was nice to see some familiar faces.

Two of our participants were recipients of the New York Community Trust Scholarship, which allowed them to be a part of this event. We would like to thank those recipients for participating, as well as the New York Community Trust for being a part of our program this year!

We look forward to next year’s Summer Institutes!

Want more info on this year’s Lakota Summer Institute North? Check out these sources:

The Forum at Fargo Moorhead
–
INFORUM’s piece on the Lakota Summer Institute provides more details on the urgency of learning and teaching Lakota.

Click the link below to read the article:

https://www.inforum.com/news/3979519-%60Become-a-language-warrior-Efforts-to-revive-Lakota-Language-flourish-in-Dakotas?fbclid=IwAR3bpx2pnNYKMTksCH9MRqX20C2YmdksoDYVk0NnShtkoYQvVqDdBJ98mcU

Couldn’t make it to one of the Summer Institutes? There’s still a chance for you to join one of our programs this year!

Save the Date!

LAKOTA LANGUAGE WEEKEND – Rapid City, SD
October 5-6, 2019
Rapid City, ND
More info to come!

LAKOTA LANGUAGE WEEKEND – Denver, CO
October 19-20, 2019
Denver, CO
More info to come!

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Taking the Lakota Language into the Future

The Lakota Language Consortium team presented at Oglala Lakota College on May 3rd to discuss the history and development of the Lakota Dictionary.

Work on the dictionary began with the Lakota community’s devotion to revitalize the language for future generations. The project spanned many years and was a collaborative effort involving many local Oglala tribe elders. Many of these elders, including Johnson Holy Rock, contributed to the research and development of the Lakota Dictionary throughout their entire lives. Over the course of several years, 400 elders have shared their stories with us, recording personal stories, Lakota mythology, legend, and cultural teachings. These recordings were used as the foundation for documenting the Lakota Language and creating the Lakota dictionary.

A video of the presentation will be available soon on the Lakota Language Consortium Youtube channel!

LOWI School Update

The LOWI School, a Lakota Language Consortium supported school, recently finished up their first week of school at the beginning of May. The week was filled with day visitors from a local headstart program and getting the first kindergarten immersion class underway.

Additionally, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Chairman, Harold Frazier, visited the school to give encouraging words to the young Lakota language learners.

We sat down with the LOWI School Principal, Manny Iron Hawk, and Administrative Assistant, Renee Iron Hawk, to discuss the school and it’s future.

What inspired the formation of the LOWI School?

Administrative Assistant Renee: To teach our very young to grow up around our Lakota being spoken fluently and help them become familiar with the language.

What is your mission as principal of the LOWI School? What is the mission of the LOWI school as a whole?

Principal Manny: As principal, my mission is to establish the school preserving and revitalizing our languages. The mission of the school is to strengthen, preserve and revitalize the language through immersion education.

What materials is the school using to educate the kids? How are these materials being used?

Administrative Assistant Renee: We are utilizing the alphabet strip and teaching tools. For example, the Lakota Language Consortium posters of face/body and utilizing weather days, etc.

How is the LOWI School involving parents into the process of learning Lakota?

Principal Manny: Parents, community and invested individuals are invited every Wednesday from 5-7 pm for Language Activities.

How do you feel the learning of an ancestral language will help the students as they grow?

Administrative Assistant Renee: They will feel more grounded in their identity and their confusion of who they are will be lessened.

What is the future for the LOWI School? What are the future goals for the school?

Principal Manny: The future is to expand our school to K-12, the finished model of the school, with all subject taught in Lakota. Now, there is K-3 recruitment and we’re working collaboratively with local schools and the communities.

The Lakota Language Consortium and Oglala Lakota College are hosting the Lakota Language Academy.

The Academy is currently underway! We’re excited to be a part of this incredible Lakota language learning experience!

The Lakota Language Consortium and the University of North Dakota will host LSI North.

LSI North is the full Summer Institute experience with the most courses. Live, eat, and study all in one place! The institute will offer 3 tracks with beginner and pre-intermediate levels in Communicative Lakota and Lakota Grammar.

Register

 here!

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Language Technology

LLC has been working hard to ramp up its language learning technology! We know how important it is to make language learning tools accessible to young learners.

We’re excited to announce our plans to re-launch our Lakota Language learning platform, Owóksape for alpha testing this Spring!

We’ll be demonstrating many of the exciting features of Owóksape at our Summer Institutes – don’t miss your chance to give it a try!

Summer of Lakota Learning!

We’re gearing up for this year’s Summer Institutes. Join us for a summer of Lakota language learning!

LLC is offering two Institutes again this year:

This year we will have 5 tracks with beginner, pre-intermediate, and teacher levels in Communicative Lakota, Lakota Grammar, Lakota Writing for Teachers, and Teaching Methods.

Register

here!

LSI North at University of North Dakota
July 8 – 26

LSIN is the full Summer Institute experience with the most courses. Live, eat, and study all in one place! The institute will offer 3 tracks with beginner and pre-intermediate levels in Communicative Lakota and Lakota Grammar.

Register here!

The following costs need to be paid to Lakota Language Consortium no later than June 15, 2019:

Class Tuition: $150/week ($450 for all 3 weeks)

UND Selke Hall: $380 (double room) or $760 (single room) for all 3 weeks.

Classes Plus Accomodations Total: $830 (double room) or $1,210 (single room) for all 3 weeks, rooms included.

*For those with cost inquiries, please email events@lakhota.org or call 812-340-5287.
____________________________________________________

The following costs will be paid directly to the University of North Dakota:

Professional Development Credits: $50/class ($300 for all 6 classes). More details to come.

Meals: All meals can be purchased on an individual basis at the University dining hall. More details to come.

Parking: Daily permits are $5/day. Weekly permits are $20/week. Permits can be purchased online or in-person at Parking Services.

Summer Institutes are great opportunities for teacher/professional development or language learning.

Language Weekends Wrap-Up

Our language weekends are not only great opportunities to learn Lakota, but an opportunity to connect with other language learners.

This year we had a fantastic turnout at both our Rapid City and New York City Lakota Language Weekends!

The LLC weekend workshops are a great place to introduce yourself to the Lakota language. The teachers are knowledgeable and passionate about the language and make learning fun. Whether you are entirely new to the language or have some background knowledge, there is definitely something for everyone at these workshops. Past participants have been happily surprised with the fact that they could talk and understand some Lakota even after the first day. The skills instilled throughout the weekend promote a basis for self learning long after the workshop is over. “I would thoroughly recommend this course, even for those who think that can’t learn another language, or who are afraid to get back into the classroom. – John B, LLW NYC attendee

We’re planning even more Language Weekends in fall this year. Stay tuned for more details!

International Year of Indigenous Languages

A people’s language is more than a way to connect with one another.

Language holds one’s understanding of the world.

Their Identity, history, and traditions.

2,680 Indigenous Languages are in danger of going extinct.

When a language is lost, the world loses a unique voice.

The United Nations has recognized the urgency of this crisis and declared 2019 The International Year of Indigenous Languages.

It’s our hope that this beacon of light will serve as a call-to-action, inspiring people to join our movement in revitalizing endangered languages.

Collectively, we can make a meaningful impact in protecting the language diversity of the world.

The Lakota Language Consortium is excited to be releasing new picture books this year!

Originally captured through a voice recorder, “Turtle Goes To War” is a traditional Lakota fable brought to written word through author/anthropologist/linguist Ella Deloria (1889-1971). A daughter of Sioux parents, Deloria spent her life following Native American ancestry not only for her own personal interests, but to also continue to sustain history and language.

“Turtle Goes to War,” as well as many other tales, were recorded from a traditional speaker of the Lakota language.

This storybook will be the first of Deloria’s works to be published by LLC. After its release, LLC will continue to publish more of the author’s transcriptions to further children’s and adult’s education on Native American culture!

The University of North Dakota’s Lakota Language Teaching and Learning Program is not only an opportunity to become a Lakota Language teacher, but the chance to play a pivotal role in rebuilding the Lakota Language!

150 Lakota speakers must be gained each year for the Lakota Language to become sustainable again.

We’re confident that this program will have a meaningful impact!

The LLTL program offers:

• $1,800 a month stipend

• Financial aid assistance

• Tutoring and mentoring

• Childcare assistance

• Job placement

Click here to apply today!

We are excited to announce The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) has contracted out The Lakota Language Consortium to strengthen Native American language programs for northern region states.

Schools in Iowa, Idaho, Minnesota, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming who are a part of BIE will have access to these free resources.

This program includes the following services:

-Site visits and program consulting

-Monthly webinars

-Teacher summer professional development

This indigenous language program will also be creating written resources such as a directory of outside sources, immersion program and assessment tools and best practice guides for Native language programs.

Our second webinar on communicative teaching methods will take place on 1/31 from 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm MST. Click here to join. For those unable to attend, webinars will be posted here. This is a free resource to all teachers, administrators, and staff from BIE schools in the northern region.

We’re ready to hit the ground running in teaching Lakota at our Lakota Language Weekends this year!

There’s always a great sense of energy for learning at these events. We are excited to share these experiences with you!

Lakota Language Weekend – Rapid City
Feb. 9 – 10
Click here to register!

Lakota Language Weekend – NYC
Feb. 23 – 24
Click here to register!

Summer Institutes will be announced soon!

New Reading Materials and Apps for 2019

The Lakota Language Consortium is making a major push towards developing new reading materials and apps for 2019!

We’re honored to be releasing unpublished works by novelist, Ella Deloria, who was committed to recording Native American oral history and legends.

We’ll also be refining the features of our revolutionary new Lakota Language self-study learning platform, Owóksape.

LLC and UND Partnership

The Lakota Language Consortium has partnered with the University of North Dakota to start a new Lakota teaching degree program and to fund scholarships for 14 students to complete the program. We’re excited to be working with such a dedicated team at UND and we can’t wait to see the program grow!

Click here to learn more about the Lakota Language Teaching and Learning Program.

Language Weekends

In 2019, the Lakota Language Consortium will be hosting Language Weekends in New York City, Rapid City, and Denver.

These weekends are designed to be fun and engaging experiences for young language learners. You’ll be impressed by how much you can learn using our new communicative approach to language learning! After one weekend, you’ll have the confidence to move forward on your own path of self study.

Want a Language Weekend hosted in your city? You’ll get a chance to have your voice heard. Stay tuned!

Summer institutes

Our Summer Institutes were a huge success this year! We hosted 2 institutes at LSI North (United Tribes Technical College) and Lakota Summer Academy (Oglala Lakota College). We love empowering people by giving them the tools they need to educate themselves and others.

LLC has a busy summer ahead! We’ll be hosting 2 Summer Institutes in June and July. It’s our hope to serve more people than ever before! Be sure to join us on our language Journey.

LLC Awards

Every year the Lakota Language Consortium administers pre and post assessments for students from participating schools. Measuring the effectiveness of the vocabulary and lesson topics of the different textbooks that the Lakota Language Consortium publishes. At the end of the year, awards are given out to the top performing schools and the most improved schools.

The Lakota Language Awards were announced on Wednesday, Dec. 12 at the Lakota Nation Invitational’s Lakota Language Bowl! Ben BlackBear announced this year’s winners and Alex FireThunder performed an honor song to celebrate the students’ achievements.

This year’s winners are as follows:

Highest Achieving Elementary School

Hukhúčiyela Owáyawa Waŋkátuyeȟčiŋ Wayúštaŋ

Red Shirt School

____

Highest Achieving Middle School

Waŋkáwapȟaya Owáyawa Waŋkátuyeȟčiŋ Wayúštaŋ

Tiospaye Topa School

____

Highest Achieving High School

Waŋkáwapȟaya Owáyawa Waŋkátuyeȟčiŋ Wayúštaŋ

Red Cloud Indian School

____

Most Improved Elementary School

Hukhúčiyela Owáyawa Iyótaŋ Iglúwašte

Wounded Knee District School

____

Most Improved Middle School

Iyókogna Owáyawa Iyótaŋ Iglúwašte

C-EB Upper Elementary

____

Most Improved High School

Waŋkáwapȟaya Owáyawa Iyótaŋ Iglúwašte

Solen High School

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Our most recent Lakota Language Weekend in Denver drew more than 60 passionate Lakota Language Warriors, and was a resounding success!

Congratulations to instructors Allrnn Wilson, Alex Fire Thunder and Lora Catches for their stellar work, and of course to all the participants who took the plunge!

The Denver Post published a great article Lakota Language Gets Boost at DU Conference, which helps spread the word about the positive strides we’re making together on the road to Lakota Language revitalization!

LLEAP Forward for Lakota Language

Announcing LLEAP (Lakota Language Education Action Plan), a new partnership with the University of North Dakota College of Education that will bring 14 students to campus to train teachers in the Lakota language and earn their degree in elementary and secondary education. Graduates will teach elementary and secondary learners at tribal and reservation schools in North Dakota and South Dakota…  Read more

To learn more and inquire about how to apply: contact Cheryl Hunter, Chair of the Department of Teaching, Leadership & Professional Practice.

The year-long project kicked off last week. Six researchers are visiting BIE schools, meeting with language teachers, principals, students and community members. Over the course of the next year, we’ll be setting up webinars, teacher training institutes and reports to share best-practice teaching methods.

More updates in the months to come!

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Owóksape, our new online platform for learning Lakota, will be available for pre-release next month.

We’re excited to announce that a pre-release version of Owóksape (“place of learning” in Lakota) will be available in October!

Owóksape is a new online self-study program designed to help you learn Lakota faster than ever. Featuring interactive lessons and quizzes, games and rewards, social media integration, and much more. Works on smartphones, tablets and computers. We can’t wait to share it with you.

We’re inviting the LLC community to test the pre-release version and offer feedback. Interested? Click the button below:

• Shop through AmazonSmile. Select “Language Conservancy.” Amazon will donate a pct of revenue to tribal language programs.

• Shop at Kroger (Indiana stores only). The Language Conservancy (LLC’s partner organization) has partnered with the Kroger Community Rewards Program. Link your Kroger Plus card to “Language Conservancy” and Kroger will donate a portion of sales to support language programs! Register online.

• Volunteer or Intern with the Lakota Language Consortium and The Language Conservancy. Positions available in Bloomington, IN and remotely. Read more.

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