How does learning a second “indigenous language” like Lakota differ fro learning a second language like Spanish, German or French?
How does/should the fact that South Dakota IS the native homeland of the languages of the Oceti Sakowin people impact the ways those languages are taught? How does this impact native Lakota, Dakota and Nakota people who are learning their traditional language as a second language?
What are the challenges that are preventing many traditional individuals from becoming resources for the revitalization of native languages and culture?
Learn FROM (deep listening, transformation)
What are your experiences with the second language learning?
Have you ever been able to visit with the homeland of a language you were learning? If so, how did it impact your learning of that language?
What experiences do you have with working with friends, neighbors, community members who speak a traditional language like Lakota or Dakota that is indigenous to the land base where you are living? Is your sense of the importance or value of this language impacted by its connection with your physical or geographical environment? In what ways?
