Many of us who are settlers now living on Turtle Island or anywhere in the world where colonization has taken place, recognize that ours is a time of truth and reconciliation. Forced assimilation and boarding schools established by the Indian Civilization Act of 1819 deliberately suppressed the use of Indigenous language and culture. We are haunted by histories where government policies, colonizers, missionaries, and the like, aimed to eradicate Indigenous peoples and their way of life, rather than celebrate the sacredness of diversity, our inter-relatedness, and shared values. 

FULL SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/posts/preserving-and-91943116 


Because there are few speakers of the Lakota language under the age of 30, Sage Fast Dog answered his community’s call to create a Lakota Immersion School, Wakanyeja Ki Tokeyahci [http://www.sicangu.co/wakanyeja] that would empower youth and revitalize the Lakota way of life. In this episode he shares the journey of reclaiming the Sicangu education system and uplifting Lak̇ota language, culture, and Indigenous identity.


Nowadays, elders are dying; living knowledge keepers, and fluent speakers of Native languages are fewer and fewer, making it incumbent upon us all to ask: what of the future? What will we regret or celebrate 100 years from now? What if Indigenous languages and lifeways are revitalized? What will return if Indigenous languages return? How will society at large change? Would the lands, waters, and all living beings be the better for it? Prophecies augur this time where Indigenous peoples and the youth will lead. The revitalization and continuance of Indigenous languages and the cosmological views embedded in them, are essential for the Ancient Future that looms on the horizon.  
 
For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio 

Sage Fast Dog, the Founder and Director of Sicangu Co's Lakota Immersion School, Wakanyeja Ki Tokeyahci [http://www.sicangu.co/wakanyeja], is a passionate educator dedicated to preserving the Lakota culture and language. Born and raised on the Sicangu Makoce, Sage helped establish the school to address the urgent need for language preservation. Through his unwavering commitment, he has created a vital institution that immerses children in Lakota language and traditions, ensuring their cultural legacy endures.


Carry Kim, Co-Host of EcoJustice Radio. An advocate for ecosystem restoration, indigenous lifeways, and a new humanity born of connection and compassion, she is a long-time volunteer for SoCal350, member of Ecosystem Restoration Camps, and a co-founder of the Soil Sponge Collective, a grassroots community organization dedicated to big and small scale regeneration of Mother Earth.



Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ 
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Executive Producer and Intro: Jack Eidt
Hosted by Carry Kim 
Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats

Episode 195

Lakota Immersion School

Preserving the Language and Legacy of the Lakota with Sage Fast Dog

EcoJustice Radio presents environmental and climate stories from a social justice frame, featuring voices not necessarily heard on mainstream media.

Our purpose is to amplify community voices, broaden the reach of grassroots-based movements, and inspire action. We investigate solutions for social, environmental, and climate issues with an eye to advance human health, steward wild landscapes, and solve the climate crisis across the USA and the world.

Featured weekly on KPFK Los Angeles and KPFT Houston, and found on all major podcast apps. We are nationally syndicated through the Pacifica Network and PRX and heard on public radio stations across the US and downloaded in over 25 countries.

Co-hosts Jack Eidt, Carry Kim, and Jessica Aldridge present a broad range of perspectives: land defenders and water protectors; Indigenous leaders, front/fenceline community spokespeople; youth organizers; ecosystem and land stewards; regenerative farmers and permaculture specialists; spiritual and faith leaders; environmental health advocates and practitioners; documentary filmmakers; climate scientists; and political decision makers.

EcoJustice Radio [http://EcoJusticeRadio.org] is produced by SoCal350.org since 2017. 

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New tracks tagged #LakotaLanguage