Spiritual Language Examination
The Dakota dialect, a crucial component of the Oceti Sakowin (Sioux) language, holds profound cultural, spiritual, and social significance for Indigenous tribes in the United States. For the Santee Sioux tribe, it is a vital element of identity, heritage, and community cohesion.
The Dakota dialect connects the Santee Sioux to their history, traditional knowledge, and religious practices. The Black Hills of South Dakota, a place of strong religious and cultural importance, is where the tribe has long gathered for ceremonies such as the Sun Dance, reinforcing their unity and spiritual bonds. Language plays a key role in these gatherings and in maintaining their way of life adapted to their environment.
The importance of the Dakota dialect extends to education and cultural transmission, helping to preserve Indigenous worldviews, values, and narratives often lost through colonization and historical suppression. Advocates within these communities emphasize the necessity of Dakota language fluency to deepen cultural understanding and pride, as well as to shape narratives in Native education and leadership, preserving the Santee Sioux’s sovereignty and self-representation.
The Santee Sioux tribe's struggle to save their ancestral language from extinction is not a mere fight for communication but a battle to preserve their spiritual and cultural identity. The colonizer's attempt to take away their language was a theft of more than their culture, history, and unique identity; it was a theft of their ability to commune with ancestors and pray to their gods.
The Santee Sioux interact with creatures not recognized by Western science. These humanoid, child-like, hair-covered beings with bright red eyes have their own language. They primarily approach and communicate with children telepathically. Among the Santee tribe, medicine people had their own sacred, ceremonial language that was passed down through ancestors and dreams.
The author of this article, the daughter of a boarding school survivor, cherishes the Dakota language and is currently learning it to connect with her ancestors and the natural world. She encourages readers to speak Dakota, as stated by "Waŋná Dakhóta uŋkíapi kte."
The boarding school system aimed to strip Native children of their kinship bonds, cultures, belief systems, and languages. In the 1800s, the U.S. government shipped Native children to distant boarding schools to indoctrinate them into Christianity and subject them to hard labor, starvation, torture, neglect, and abuse.
In a historical context, Native codetalkers used their ancient syntax to relay unbreakable ciphers during World War II, contributing to the Allied victory. The Santee Sioux, like many other tribes, have a rich linguistic heritage that extends far beyond mere communication.
This article first appeared in Atmos Volume 08 with the headline "Language of the Spirit." It does not contain any advertisements.
