​Lakota Language Initiative

Tilda has had a dream for many years to create a comfortable place where folks can learn Lakota. The los of language in Lakota Country has been frightening for the last fifty years. Today less than 5% of Lakota are fluent while fifty years ago is was 60%. The problems that led to this are complex, from forced English in all schools, to the forbidding of Lakota in all schools led to an embarrassment that lasted lifetime. For many years Tilda has been approached by folks who either “want to learn to speak” for the first time and also large group of folks who understand by cannot respond in conversational Lakota, and then a final group who were fluent as children but do not speak as adults and what to regain their fluency. Covid 19 has given Tilda the chance to participate in intense online classes in Lakota. For those wanting to learn who are far away this is now an option. All of the schools on the reservation have some attempt t language education. This places the survival of the language on children who go home and hear no Lakota. Having a place to achieve fluency for adults is critical if Laota, a language with thousands of years of history will continue to be living language or not.

In that vane, we are in the process of repairing, remodeling, and making energy efficient building 2 . Once wan this is completed, (Covid is defeated) we will begin this experiment. If you want to be a part of this amazing push back on colonization, join us!