By Lily Zenner, University of Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS — Introduced in fall 2023, the University of Minnesota’s new Dakota language major is part of the movement throughout Dakota communities to increase the number of Dakota language speakers and teachers.

With only about five first-language speakers born and raised in Minnesota and about 20 first-language speakers outside the state, there are more second-language learners than first-language speakers. The program prepares students to have a sophisticated understanding of the Dakota language while giving them the skills to fulfill the growing need for immersion teachers.

Now beginning their second year in the program, three of the first students — in the world — to major in the Dakota language reflect on what the program means for their personal language journeys and for the future.

Summer Jensvold

The land Mni Sóta Maḳoce is home to the Dakota people, with many names of locations in the state of Minnesota coming from Dakota words and traditions. From cities like Mankato, Shakopee and Wayzata to natural landmarks like Minnehaha Falls, these words are rich in meaning and express volumes about the land and histories of the Dakota people.

“It’s the language that connects with those places,” said Dakota language major Summer Jensvold. “The word Minnesota describes lands that were like cloudy water, but it goes way beyond that. It talks specifically about when the water is very glassy and there’s no waves and you can see sky mirroring directly with the water. The language goes so much deeper and explains more about the world and how Dakota people had always interacted with it prior to colonization.”

Jensvold, whose Dakota name is Eagle Road Woman, is from the Pejuhutazizi (Upper Sioux) community. Her grandmother was an immersion teacher in 1997 in Minnesota’s first and only Dakota immersion school, so Jensvold grew up learning the Dakota language. Her first words were in Dakota, and she spoke it as a child. Even at an early age, Jensvold understood the importance of knowing and learning the language.

“It’s hard to be Dakota without the language. They’re synonymous with one another. When you separate the two, you lose a lot of nuance and culture behind the language,” she explained. “(The major) opens that door for more people to learn, which in general will help language revitalization and help the language to survive and thrive at the same time.”

Evelyn Ashford

Evelyn Ashford, pursuing a double major in American Indian studies and Dakota language, reflects on the importance of learning the language as someone outside of the Dakota community. Ashford is white with Indigenous Sámi heritage and is also on a personal journey to reclaim her own heritage. She learned about the Dakota language major from her language instructors C̣aƞte Máza and Ṡiṡókaduta while originally taking coursework for the Dakota Language Teaching Certificate.

By studying the language, Ashford hopes she can understand more about what the Dakota people have gone through, both in the past and presently.

“I’m here supporting the language and supporting the Dakota people,” she said.

Ashford hopes that with time, the Dakota language major can bring the Dakota language back into common use for heritage and non-heritage speakers. Knowing the language also gives one a better understanding of Dakota ways of thinking, which she believes can be beneficial to all.

“Dakota thought carries sustainable, environmentally sound practices, and conveys being in good relationship by caring for all of our neighbors and relatives,” she said. “Our world is in desperate need of such grounded, caring thought and worldview.”

Wakiƞyaƞ Waƞbli

Wakiƞyaƞ Waƞbli also envisions a future where Dakhódiapi or Dakhód (Dakota) is spoken more widely, which begins with creating more accessible spaces for the language to be spoken and learned.

That’s why he facilitates a safe language space called Wóksape Wednesdays online, a place for Indigenous folks to share a space and learn together.

An enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Wakiƞyaƞ Waƞbli has been recognized as a dedicated student of Dakota from an early age.

“My grandparents supported my language journey as a child by providing connection, care and culture on the Sicangu Oyanke or the Rosebud Reservation,” he said.

Wakiƞyaƞ Waƞbli honors his relatives by creating, understanding and developing kinship bonds while supporting Indigenous peoples in their language journeys — including his responsibility to his children to connect the language and culture with his relationships in the community.

“The language means everything to my well-being, to my spirituality, to my mental health, to my spiritual health, to my wellness, and to my connections. I strive to continue that with my children and share every opportunity that I have with them because they’re the ones that are going to be coming up speaking, recognizing,” he said.

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