Project: Dakota Language Audio Journal

The seasons of the year

About the project

Language
Tribal-University relations
Audio
Storytelling
Digital Media

The Dakota Language Audio Journal lays the seeds for a publicly available set of Dakota language recordings and transcripts, for use by language educators and students. With an emphasis on storytelling, the Dakota Language Audio Journal will offer recordings of conversations and stories which allow both beginning and advanced Dakota learners to hear how the language naturally sounds.

As a collaboration between the University of Minnesota, Sisseton Wahpeton College, and later the Dakota Language Institute, the Dakota Language Audio Journal ultimately aims to make Dakota language resources freely accessible to the community.

In December 2021, members of the Dakota Language Audio Journal team sat down with Collegeland Podcast to share their work. Check out the episode, S2 Episode 3: Revitalizing Dakota Language.

Collegeland Podcast is co-hosted by Nan Enstad and Lisa Levenstein and produced by Craig Eley. Listen on most major podcast apps or on the Collegeland Pod website.

Partners and collaborators

Dakota Language Audio Journal Team

  • Šišóka Dúta: Sisoka is an enrolled member of the Lake Traverse Reservation, Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate. A longstanding language learner and educator, Sisoka taught Dakota language at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities from 2008 through September of 2023.
  • Raine Cloud: Raine Cloud is a Dakota who is an enrolled member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate. She worked for the University of Minnesota as the Dakota Language Online Audio Journal Coordinator, works with elders to preserve their knowledge, and teaches Dakota language classes for several organizations. Nichole Subola: Nichole is a student and teacher of Dakota, who supported the transcribing of interviews. She is a member of Standing Rock Tribe and lives in Minneapolis.
  • Justis Brokenrope: Justis graduated from the University of Minnesota in May 2022. He worked as a teaching assistant in the Dakhota Language Program, interned with Dakhota Iapi Okhodakichiye, and has taught Dakota at a variety of schools and preschools. He is an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe.
  • Ric Bertsch

With support from Minnesota Transform staff and student interns: Andrea Manolov, Fatih Bilgic, Aaron Tran, and Sebastian Alfonzo.