Dakota Wicohan

Dakota Wicohan has a beautiful vision of decolonization. Their vision goes beyond a simple language program but rather involves community in a project to heal, reclaim and rebuild a nation.

This website and organization fulfills a critical need. The people it is to serve largely live in a rural area, so electronic dissemination of information is a must. Also, being a non-profit organization, financial matters need to be taken into consideration. Having a website available allows the organization to save money on postage and paper and mailing supplies.

What does the world lose when it loses a language? The work of indigenous language advocacy groups such as this is vital to our common human legacy. Whole systems of indigenous knowledge are at risk of being lost, and these systems of knowledge have informed the survival, health, government, education, and well-being of generations past, and could continue to do so in the future. Small, grass-roots groups such as Dakota Wicohan operate on shoe-string budgets, but with tenacity, drive and commitment have had far-reaching impact in their communities and beyond. Help restore the languages of indigenous people and our common human legacy by supporting the work, the breadth and reach of Dakota Wicohan.

Dakota Wicohan, through its invaluable work in language teacher education, family & community language learning, and language preservation, is a key leader in the Dakota language revitalization movement in Minnesota.

One of the major challenges in Dakota language revitalization is that fluent speakers tend to be scattered over a wide geographic range that covers Minnesota, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Montana, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. In the state of Minnesota, fewer than 10 first-speakers remain, and while more speakers can be found in greater numbers in communities outside the state, their population is proportionately low. Consequently, collaboration among communities is difficult. Yet this collaboration is essential to our success in strengthening the language. Therefore, the use of technology, particularly the internet, is an increasingly effective tool for Dakota language educators to work together, organize, and share information.

Our department, American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota, has been honored to work in partnership with Dakota Wicohan to create opportunities to connect students in rural communities to resources and language classes in the Twin Cities via the internet.

The Dakota Wicohan group meets at our school once a month to spend some time immersed in their native language. All discussion is to be carried on using the Dakota language. I believe it is a very worthwhile project to prevent their native language from becoming extinct. With their own website they will be able to share through the world wide web what their mission is and may find others who would like to join them or provide them with valuable resources. I fully support their application for this grant.

Larry Schueler, Director
ECHO Charter School
Echo, MN 56237

Dakota Wicohan is a fabulous group that is doing critical work with very little capital. Their people and resources are dispersed; a good website would help them leverage what they have to reach their whole community. Please do support them!

This project would allow a community that ranges over several states and Canadian territories to connect on issues vital to their wellbeing, a model for community building through technology!

One of our Dakota values is Generosity which I believe is the essence of what Dakota Wicohan is accomplishing through this process. The value of resources and materials is critical when trying to keep a language alive. The connection with other Dakota advocates, speakers, and those who want to attain this beautiful language through a website is beneficial and essential to the vision of future speakers. I hope that this universal value of generosity is given to this group by selecting this organization.

Pidamayaye (Thank You),

Noella Eagle,
President
Dakota Iapi Teunhindapi Consortium
Manitoba Canada

The work Dakota Wicohan does is imperative in saving and revitalizing our MN Dakota peoples language...which is our culture. It makes perfect sense that today that restoring our Dakota language, children learning our Dakota language through presechool immersion and in schools are better prepared to enter school; remain in school and have greater self-esteem, self- identity and overall self-efficacy..because the failed US American Indian policy taking away our language through the boarding school era! Please honor the first ancestors of Minnesota and chose Dakota Wicohan program! ~Sinaduta Winyan

The the language is the key to any culture, and I want to applaud the efforts of Dakota Wicohan to revitalize the language in their communities. They should be proud of their tireless efforts to encourge, promote and teach the language of their people. I am truly impressed by the young ones and their effort to be a part of the University of Minesota's Dakota Language program and return to their commuities to teach the children and adults. I am proud to know the members of those communities who are working so hard to keep the spirit of their language alive, which again is the key to keeping the culture alive. Chi miigwech for caring about the future of our people, our children. Rick Smith, UMD American Indian Learning Resource Center.

Dakota Wicohan needs to be able to work effectively with communities that are spread out over a large area. The greenest and most efficient way to do this would be with a new website. The work done by this group is very important, please select them.

As a Minnesotan, it is vitally important to me that the original language of the place I live doesn't just survive, but thrives, and can be heard every day in communities across the state, and Dakota Wicohan is a critically important part of the movement to preserve and revitalize the Dakota language. As a Dakota language learner, I also know firsthand that language resources are limited and not easily found or accessed. Dakota Wicohan having a web site where they could both promote their own important work and post and widely share teaching and learning resources would be a huge boost to the work of all Dakota language teachers, learners, advocates, and activists. You will also not find a more dedicated and committed group of people, giving the best of themselves to their work every day, to support through this program. Nina pidamaya - thanks for considering Dakota Wicohan!

I am in Honolulu and my interest in my Dakota community is never far from my mind and when I can get on a Dakota Website from Hawaii and become transported back to the Dakota areas and read and see what communities are doing to enhance their lives with projects and language classes etc. I would be lost without a link to information that involves the Dakota Community. I start my day with Dakota websites and see what is going on. Aloha

Dakota Oyate nais Dakota Wicohan kin ounkiyapi ye. Oyakihipi, yacinpi kinhan.
Pidamayaye ye! (Nakun, Omaka Teca Wasteste wan yuhapi ye!)
Wanske

It is very important that Dakota Wicohan have a full-spectrum web site to serve the Dakota community, their partners and those speaking/learning to speak Dakota. In addition to saving trees and ink, it will save money and provide information/service access that far surpasses what mailings can.

Dakota Wicohan includes many inspired and committed people who have been growing the Dakota Language community since 2001. A web site would bring a personal connection and access to many more. Dakota Language revitalization would put the power of the web to good use. As a board member and founding member I would greatly appreciate the contribution of the 'Overnight Website Challenge'. Thank you for offering this opportunity!

The Dakota Wicohan needs a website that will allow those who are at the forefront of preserving and furthering the Dakota language a means of providing information, services, language materials to those of us in the community who are very interested in its work but are unable to attend meetings or participate personally. Those of us who are elderly and sometimes unable to travel can stay abreast of what strides are being made through this very important work. Having this website will provide immediate access at any time we wish via our computers. It will also save on the mailing costs which then can be re-directed to other needs, preserve more trees as stated by others as well as ink and the costs associated with the purchase of those consumable supplies. The website will also reach those who are interested in this work rather than sending mass mailings which may not be of interest to some.
Immediate access, saving resources, preservation of language, opportunity for expanding its work, expanding the opportubity for more people to learn about Dakota Wicohan and its mission are just some of the reasons a full website is greatly needed.
Lucy Bennett
Upper Sioux Community member/Elder

In 1956 I spent the summer in Lower Brule and Pine Bluffs reservations in a workcamp sponsered by the Episcopal Church. It was a heart-breaking experience. Even at the age of 15 I realized that the beautiful cultue and language was fading away. I met an 80-year-old medicine man who carved peace pipes for tourists. He told me he went to the schools and told the young people to learn Lakoda, otherwise they would lose their identy in the cities. Now for the past thirty years I have worked in overseas schools, often pushing for these schools to teach mother tongue to all students. For the past nine years I have worked in Turkey, where the Kurdish people desperately need to have recognition given to their language. I was completely moved by what I see you and others are doing to preserve the great Lakota traditions.