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Canku Ota

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(Many Paths)

An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America

 

 
 

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Favorite Sites

 
 

collected by Paul and Vicki

 
Web Resources for Dakota/Nakota/Lakota

University of Minnesota American Indian Studies Department Sponsored Links

Mnisota Dakota Iapi Owayawa
The Department of American Indian Studies maintains a free interactive Dakota language website where users can access lessons on a variety of topics, sound clips, dialogues, recordings of fluent speakers, and online activities and games.

Due to the critical point of language shift we are experiencing with Dakota in the state of Minnesota, classroom time may be one of the few opportunities language learners have to hear and use the language. We hope that this website will help some people acquire a little bit of conversational ability in the language, but it cannot replace a real teacher. It is only meant to supplement the teachings of living people!

To access the site, enter:
User Name: wounspekuwa
Password: d4k0t4

If you have any questions, please contact Beth Brown at brow0857@umn.edu.
http://amin.umn.edu/dakota//

 

Dakota Language Program
Interactive course website including lessons, dialogues, activities, and more.
User name: wounspekuwa
Password: d4k0t4
http://amin.umn.edu/dakota//

Dakota Font
Download for Mac or PC.
http://amin.umn.edu/dakota//techreq.htm
(Installation instructions at http://amin.umn.edu/dakota//fonthowto.htm)

Dakota Dictionary Online
Search for words in English or Dakota (must have Dakota Font installed).
http://fmdb.cla.umn.edu/dakota/

Dakota-net Listserv
Dakota-net (dakota-net@cla.umn.edu) is a free Internet email listserv created to serve as a venue for making announcements about Dakota language activities and for distributing information about Dakota language resources and programming in the region.
https://mail.socsci.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/dakota-net


Other Interactive Websites
AISRI Dictionary Database
A dictionary database of six Native languages, including Dakota, Lakota, and Assinboine. Developed by the American Indian Studies Research Institute at the University of Indiana - Bloomington.
http://zia.aisri.indiana.edu/~dictsearch/

Dakoteyah Wogdaka - Talk Dakota!
An interactive audio program with basic words and phrases of the Dakota language. A project of Native American Women’s Health Education Resource Center (NAWHERC), South Dakota.
http://www.nativeshop.org/dakoteyah/dakoteyah-wogdaka.html

Loneman School Lakota Immersion Computer Programs
Multimedia computer programs designed for use within elementary schools on Indian reservations. They are interactive and feature narration, music, stories, and vocabulary building exercises. Both entertaining and educational!
http://php.indiana.edu/~wmeya/lonemanproject.html

Native Languages of Saskatchewan
Information on language history, grammar, alphabet and sound systems, common phrases, bibliography and other resources for Dakota, Lakota, Nakota/Nakoda.
http://www.sicc.sk.ca/heritage/sils/ourlanguages/dnl.html

Dakota-Nakona Language Lessons
Interactive lessons from Fort Peck Community College.
http://fpcctalkindian.nativeweb.org/


Books, CD's, and other Materials
Association on American Indian Affairs
View AAIA's catalog of Dakota language materials for children including books, music, and CD-Roms.
http://indian-affairs.org/programs/language_preservation.htm#samples

Lakota Language Consortium
A nonprofit organization dedicated to the complete revitalization of the Lakota language. LLC trains teachers, produces language materials, sponsors community and educational events, and directs other efforts in Lakota language revitalization. Materials offered include books, flashcards, audio cds, and posters.
http://www.lakhota.org/

Aboriginal Languages of Manitoba
An organization dedicated to promoting the retention of Manitoba's Aboriginal languages, including Dakota. Language resource materials can be purchased from their catalog.
http://www.ablang.com/

Dakota & Lakota Texts
A variety of texts digitized by Jan F. Ullrich.
http://www.inext.cz/siouan/Default.htm#List

Lakota Dakota Information Homepage
Links to resources for Dakota and Lakota art, history, language, and more.
http://puffin.creighton.edu/lakota/


Community Programs and Organizations
Wicoie Nandagikendan Language Immersion Program (Minneapolis, MN)
An early childhood language immersion program dedicated to raising a new generation of fluent Dakota and Ojibwe speakers. A project of the Alliance of Early Childhood Professionals. Contact allecp@aol.com.

Dakota Iapi Okodakiciyapi - Dakota Language Society (Minneapolis, MN).
A non-profit group dedicated to the revitalization of the Dakota language through resource development, community events, and other projects. Contact catan@visi.com.

Dakota Wicohan (Granite Falls, MN)
A regional non-profit language support organization headquartered in Granite Falls, MN. Its primary goal is to build community through Dakota language renewal. Contact dakotawicohan@earthlink.net.

Tusweca Tiospaye (Pine Ridge, SD)
A Native 501(c)(3) that is devoted to the promotion and strengthening of the Lakota language on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, home of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Tusweca Tiospaye hosts a yearly Lakota Dakota Nakota Language Summit in November, as well as a summer culture camp.
http://www.tuswecatiospaye.org/

Dakota Iapi Teunhindapi Consortium (Pipestone, Manitoba, Canada)
A consortium dedicated to to assisting communities in creating a network of human resources and resources that will produce future speakers of Dakota, Nakota, Lakota.
http://www.dakotaconsortium.com/index.html

Sacagawea was born in approximately 1788 into the Lemhi Shoshone tribe of Idaho. Through the journals of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, we know some of her story because in November, 1804 a pregnant, teenage Sacagawea and her husband joined the Corps of Discovery as interpreters.

Discovering Lewis & Clark: The Faces of Sacagawea
"There is no known image of Sacagawea that was made of her during her lifetime, so no one can be sure what she really looked like. Yet because the Shoshone woman has been the subject of so many sculptures and paintings, especially since about 1900, we have a rich heritage of artists' conceptions to contemplate." Visit Discovering Lewis & Clark to explore a dozen artistic renderings of Sacagawea, but don't miss the "interpreter" link embedded in the intro, which leads to an excellent three-page Sacagawea bio titled "The Interpreter's Wife."
http://www.lewis-clark.org/content/content-channel.asp?ChannelID=159

Idaho Public TV: The Journey of Sacagawea
"More mountains, lakes and streams bear her name than any other North American woman." Although the entire one-hour public television special is not available online, you can watch seven RealPlayer snippets of The Journey of Sacagawea, a Idaho Public TV production. Other reasons to visit include the commentary from historians and descendants such as David Borlaug, President of the Lewis and Clark Heritage Foundation: "She simply was a great presence. An Indian woman with a child on her back for all these other Indian Tribes to take note of. This could not be a war party, it had to be a party of peace".
http://www.idahoptv.org/lc/sacagawea/

Idaho Stateman: Sacajawea
This multimedia, seven-chapter picture book is the story of Sacajawea told by her people, the Lemhi-Shoshone Indians, and my pick of the day. "Some of her tribe´s interpretations of her story differ from long-accepted facts of the story. They are presented as accurate in the sense that they reflect the oral history and opinions of the Lemhi people." Highlights include audio clips from her tribesmen, a glossary of Lemhi words, and three printable handouts for the classroom: review questions, classroom activities, and a word scramble.
http://sacajawea.idahostatesman.com/

National Geographic Magazine: Sacagawea
"What we know about her: She was a teenage mother and a valued interpreter for Lewis and Clark. What we don't know about her: Almost everything else." To read the complete text of this National Geographic article for high-school students and grownups, click on the full article link just below the intro quote. Writer Margaret Talbot follows Sacagawea's life as it is recorded in the journals of Lewis and Clark, and combats common misconceptions with help from Sacagawea expert Amy Mossett and historian Carolyn Gilman.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0302/feature4/

Montana Kids: Sacagawea
For elementary and middle-school students, Montana Kids provides a single-page illustrated Sacagawea bio, with a link to the U.S. Mint page about the Sacagawea golden dollar coin. "In 2000, Sacagawea's face was minted onto a dollar coin, following in Susan B. Anthony's footsteps. The coin depicts the Shoshone woman Sacagawea, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, carrying her son Jean Baptiste Charbonneau.."
http://montanakids.com/history_and_prehistory/lewis_and_clark/sacagawea.htm
Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) was one of the greatest biologists of the nineteenth century. He is credited with the discovery of the germ theory, using heat to kill germs in food products (a process now called pasteurization ), debunking the long held theory of spontaneous generation, and the development of early vaccines to prevent the spread of diseases.
Access Excellence: Louis Pasteur (1822-1895)
Part of the Resource Center from the National Health Museum, this one-page Louis Pasteur biography includes a link to a page describing how Pasteur debunked spontaneous generation. "For example, a seventeenth century recipe for the spontaneous production of mice required placing sweaty underwear and husks of wheat in an open-mouthed jar, then waiting for about 21 days, during which time it was alleged that the sweat from the underwear would penetrate the husks of wheat, changing them into mice."
http://www.accessexcellence.org/RC/AB/BC/Louis_Pasteur.php
Garden of Praise: Louis Pasteur
This one-page illustrated Louis Pasteur biography for elementary and middle-school students includes a huge collection of printable and interactive games and worksheets. Scroll down the page to find a printable Louis Pasteur Word Search, Crossword, Word Scramble, Study Sheet, Coloring Picture, and five interactive Louis Pasteur games housed at Quia. Scroll further for the excellent links section and a glossary of scientific terms. "Bacteriology: noun. A science that deals with bacteria and their relations to medicine, industry, and agriculture."
http://gardenofpraise.com/ibdpast.htm
How Stuff Works: Pasteur's Experiment
In their article on the scientific method, How Stuff Works uses one of Pasteur's famous spontaneous generation experiment as an example. It describes step-by-step how Pasteur Pasteur proved that germs could only come from other germs, and could not be generated spontaneously. "Pasteur's experiment has all of the hallmarks of modern scientific inquiry. It begins with a hypothesis and it tests that hypothesis using a carefully controlled experiment. This same process -- based on the same logical sequence of steps -- has been employed by scientists for nearly 150 years."
http://science.howstuffworks.com/scientific-method5.htm
The Kitchen: What is Pasteurization?
Although Louis Pasteur is not referenced by name, this one-page article from The Kitchn does a nice job of explaining how milk is pasteurized and why. "The process of heating milk to kill pathogens and prevent spoilage was developed back in the 1860's, but it didn't become standard until dairy farming became industrialized in the 1900's. As milk started being collected and distributed by centralized companies, the risk of contamination grew and pasteurization became a necessity."
http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/food-science/food-science-what-is-pasteurization-065384
Science Superstars: Louis Pasteur
"Pasteur founded the science of microbiology and proved that most infectious diseases are caused by micro-organisms. This became known as the 'germ theory' of disease. He was the inventor of the process of pasteurization and also developed vaccines for several diseases including rabies." This Pasteur biography is just one of a couple of dozen scientists featured at Zephyrus' Science Superstars site for middle-school students. Other featured scientists include Marie Curie, Isaac Newton, Nikola Tesla, and Charles Babbage.
http://www.zephyrus.co.uk/louispasteur.html

Dot-to-dot puzzles, also known as connect-the-dot pictures, are a terrific printable activity for youngsters just learning to count or to recite the alphabet. And with a coloring picture as a fun reward, who can resist them?

ABC Ya! Kindergarten Fun
For something a little different, ABC Ya! brings us interactive dot-to-dot games played online. The games have audio instructions ("Connect the dots to make a picture") to make it super easy for preschoolers and kindergartners to use. There are six connect-the-dot games on this kindergarten page, but they are not grouped together, so be sure not to miss the ABC Order game or Numbers 1 to 50 game. For a Numbers 2 to 100 game not included on the kindergarten page, return to the home page, and then click on First Grade Games.
http://www.abcya.com/kindergarten_computers.htm

Coloring-Page: Connect the Dots
These forty-four printable connect-the-dots puzzles are all numeric, no alphabet games included. The coloring pictures are very cute and the numbers range from 1-10 to 1-120. But in order to find out how hard each picture is, you will need to click through to open it. To print the puzzle without the ad, don't use your browser print function. Instead, click on the image, and as long as you have JavaScript enabled, a print dialog box will open.
http://www.coloring-page.net/activity/connect-dots.html
Dot to Dot Puzzles
Dot to Dot Puzzles is my pick of the week because of the size of their collection (125 printable puzzles) and the consistent quality of their pictures. The puzzles are all numeric, and organized by categories such as Animals, Flowers, Sports or Toys. The largest puzzle goes up to forty dots, but these are intermingled with the simpler ones, so you'll just have to browse to find what you need. In addition to the free one-at-a-time downloads, Dot to Dot offers a $9 option to download the entire collection all at once.
http://www.dottodots.net/
Kids R Crafty: Dot-to-Dot
Kids R Crafty has a nice collection of numeric and alphabetic dot-to-dot puzzles, including both capital and lowercase letters. What I like best about the site is that each puzzle is clearly labeled with the numbers or letters included. And it's the only one of today's sites that includes puzzles for counting by twos, fives or tens. Other preschool activities on the site include printable coloring pages, mazes, shapes, letters and numbers.
http://www.kidsrcrafty.com/dot-to-dot.htm
Print Activities: Number Dot-to-Dot Printables
Nicely organized by theme and labeled with the numbers included, this collection includes one puzzle with more than a hundred dots. Visit for the seasonal and holiday themes (Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Halloween, and Christmas) and the unusual alphabet puzzles. These alphabet puzzles are numeric dot-to-dots done in the shape of each lower and uppercase letter. For example, lowercase "a" is a 1-20 puzzle, while uppercase "A" is a 1-10 puzzle.
http://www.printactivities.com/ConnectTheDots.html

Today's collection of snow sites include both a scientific and artistic exploration of the subject. For example, if you've ever wondered how to preserve snowflakes on microscope slides, or how to make sparkle snow paint, you'll find your answers (and more) in the following websites. Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

All About Snow
"Is it ever too cold to snow? How big can snowflakes get? Why is snow white?" Everything you ever wanted to know about snow (but didn't know who to ask) is answered here by the National Snow and Ice Data Center, affiliated with the University of Colorado. This educational site also includes a Snow Glossary (from "ablation" to "vapor pressure"), a Snow Fact Sheet and a feature on the history of snow removal. The first known snow plow was pulled by horses through the "snow-clogged streets" of Milwaukee in 1862.
http://nsidc.org/snow/

Caltech: Snowflakes and Snow Crystals
"This site is all about snow crystals and snowflakes -- what they are, where they come from, and just how these remarkably complex and beautiful structures are created, quite literally, out of thin air." Best place to start on this Caltech site is the Snowflake Primer, where you'll learn the answer to questions such as "Is it really true that no two snow crystals are alike?" and "Why do snow crystals form in such complex symmetrical shapes?"
http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/
Jill Britton's Kids Snow Page
"A falling snowflake may take up to two hours to reach the ground, and even the heaviest snowflake falls at only one mile per hour." Educator Jill Britton divides her elementary and middle-school snow site into seven sections including Snow Science, Snow Activities, Snow Art (cutting six-sided snowflakes), Snow Literature (such as the traditional fairy tale The Snow Queen), and Snow Food. And to make all easy to use offline, the entire site is also available as a PDF download.
http://britton.disted.camosun.bc.ca/snow/snow.html
Make a Flake
Wow! Don't miss this virtual snowflake designer. Start by perusing the gallery of saved snowflakes, and then try your hand at making your own. The trick is to click (not drag) your scissors from point to point. You'll know your scissors are snipping when the indicator changes from red to green. When your masterpiece is complete, you can download it, print it, email it to a friend, or go back to the gallery and look for it there.
http://snowflakes.barkleyus.com/
Paper Snowflakes
Paper Snowflakes offers paper fold-and-cut snowflake templates for dozens of craft, science, and math activities. The simplest ones are perfect for preschoolers, the more advanced ones are good for all ages. In addition to the snowflake patterns, highlights include Historical Snowflake Studies (a history of snowflake exploration), a Brief Science Guide to Snow Crystals and Snowflakes, and links to a dozen external interactive snowflake makers.
http://papersnowflakes.com/

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STAR
Students And Teachers Against Racism announces their new website that offers insight into the Native American perspective to teachers and educators.
http://www.racismagainstindians.org/

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  Canku Ota is a free Newsletter celebrating Native America, its traditions and accomplishments . We do not provide subscriber or visitor names to anyone. Some articles presented in Canku Ota may contain copyright material. We have received appropriate permissions for republishing any articles. Material appearing here is distributed without profit or monetary gain to those who have expressed an interest. This is in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107.  
 

Canku Ota is a copyright © 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 of Vicki Lockard and Paul Barry.

 
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