Carleton College is located on the homelands of the Wahpekute and Mdewakanton people (see Carleton’s Land Acknowledgement) who traditionally speak dialects of Dakhóta/Dakhód’iapi/Dakȟótiyapi (English: Dakota). Dakota belongs to the Sioux branch of the Siouan-Catawban language family and has approximately 300 fluent speakers (classified as “Definitely Endangered” by the UNESCO Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger).
While an exact number of speakers is not known, many efforts are in place to preserve and revive the Dakota language (including the development of a new Dakota-language app!). Below we have compiled a running list of resources for Carleton community members who are interested in learning Dakota.
To learn more about the Dakota language, its history, and its current preservation efforts, we encourage you to watch this documentary by Dakota Wicohan, this short video by Native Report, and/or explore the Dakota Language Society website.
Want to hear what Dakota sounds like?
Check out the following videos:
- Jessie Cheske, Dakota speaker from the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation (video by Indigenous Languages of Manitoba Inc.)
- Dakota place names in Minnesota (video by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community)
- A story titled “Keya Takes Care of Mother Earth” (video by Dallas Gold Tooth and the Dakotah Language Institute)
Resources in the Language Center
The Language Center currently has copies of the following Dakota language textbooks (available to check out and/or scan):
- Dakhóta Iá Wóhdaka Po! Speak Dakota! Level 1 Textbook by Dakhota Iapi Okhodakichiye
- Tokaheya Dakota Iyapi Kin: Beginning Dakota by Nicolette Knudson, Jody Snow, and Clifford Canku
Online Resources
- Dakota Language Lessons by the Prairie Island Indian Community
- Dakota Language Lessons through Transparent Languages at the Northfield Public Library (free with a Northfield Public Library Card)
- Resources from Dakhóta Iápi Okhódakičhiye (note that the Language Center has a copy of the first volume of DIO’s textbook, Dakhóta Iá Wóhdaka Po! Speak Dakota!, which can be checked out for personal use)
- Collection of language materials including Dakota vocabulary, pronunciation guides, and translated books from Native Languages
- Information about the Dakota Language Program and Dakota Language Teaching Certificate at the University of Minnesota
- Dakota dictionary from the Department of the Interior
- Comparative Siouan Dictionary, which has entries for Dakota, Lakota, Crow, and a other Siouan languages