U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp Thursday announced $90,000 in federal funds to Sitting Bull College in Fort Yates to create a Pre-K language immersion curriculum that will serve teachers and students at Lakho’iyapi Wahohpi Language Immersion Nest.
“Language is a link to the past for cultures around the nation, including in Indian Country where traditional languages are at risk of being lost,” said Heitkamp. “Folks take pride in their heritage by passing down stories and language from one generation to the next and this must be a tradition that continues for future generations of Native American communities. Reestablishing pride in culture, pride in tradition, and pride in one’s own history can be done by learning the language of your ancestors. That is why these federal funds are so important as they will support the efforts on Standing Rock to teach the next generation to speak and understand their cultural language so that one day it can thrive again.”
The Language Capacity Building Initiative at Sitting Bull College works to better understand the Lakota language and find better ways of teaching it to community members and students. A better understanding of this language helps to preserve it and supports the cultural and historic importance of it to the community.