By Rosalie Little Thunder

While I do many things, the one “career” that has been consistent is my life is teaching Lakota language in various settings. I have learned a lot more from students than I have taught them and I’m grateful for that.
There have been a few times that people have questioned or challenged why I teach Lakota. Being my first language, I have something that can contrast the English-speaking world that I eventually came into. While we all share the human experience, no matter what language we speak, there are some differences in the way we perceive the world and how we survive; a different point of view, if you will.

I am grateful for this opportunity to share those things about being a Lakota. When curious folks ask the question,”Why do you keep teaching Lakota when everybody speaks English now?”, the answer is not simple. Not matter how complicated the answer may be, Lakota speakers who are aware of the cultural contrasts need to continue to share the depths of Lakota culture.

Sometimes it is our own Lakota people that ask that question and it’s critically important to help them to understand what being Lakota is about. It’s not just about putting bells and feathers on and dancing at the pow-wow or that being a warrior is to beat someone up. From my own experiences and having learned the language from the past two generations, being Lakota is being very disciplined and behaving in a way that contributes to collective harmony.

The best way to communicate my observations and opinions is to give examples that people can relate to in their daily lives. I hope that others, whether they speak Lakota or not, whether they are Native or not, will contribute to this discussion.

I will begin the conversation by sharing one Lakota word that I learned in childhood and it’s contrast with a dominant culture. In Catholic boarding school, I learned that one of God’s commandments was to not covet thy neighbors goods. “Wa’as’inye shniye” is a Lakota instruction that I heard consistently throughout childhood, meaning to not cause anyone to want what you have. If you had food, then share it with others. If you had new possessions, then be low key about it and minimize the “wanting” that you can cause. In the English-speaking world, the one wanting another’s goods is the culprit while in the Lakota world, the one causing the wanting is behaving inappropriately. That simple phrase was a strong principle that guided people’s ability to function harmoniously.

Thank you for hearing my opinion. I’m anxious to hear yours.