Teaching Dakota Language
Through Traditional Song, and Football
by Michael Zimny - South
Dakota Public Broadcasting
Mikey
Peters is Director of Dakota Studies at Tiospa Zina Tribal
School.
The Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate 147th Annual Wacipi will be celebrated
this coming fourth of July weekend. The historic festival is one
of the longest-running annual cultural events within the 50 states.
It takes a multi-generational determination to sustain that kind
of longevity in the face of long odds, but the SWO has it. The traveler
here finds communities that, while small, are as rich in culture
as the lands they inhabit are in undulant fields of green. SDPB
meets with a few of the many artists, teachers and artisans that
make the Oyate a cultural powerhouse on the Plains in the weeks
leading up to the Wacipi.
Mikey Peters is Director of Dakota Studies at Tiospa Zina Tribal
School. He grew up on the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate since the age
of one. His family had been relocated to Los Angeles, but moved
back. He learned the art of traditional song from his grandparents,
other relatives and elders, and at the tribal school. In addition
to developing curriculum to teach students Dakota language, he coaches
varsity football. He also practices the art of traditional Dakota
song, is a grass dancer, and makes drums from wood and animal hide.
SDPB heard from him in his own words about the importance of
Dakota language for youth, Dakota honor songs, different methods
of teaching and inspirations.
On Learning New (Old) Songs "To hear a new song from an elder is a treat for me
to hear a song that might have been sung when my grandpas
were singers, living around here. So I really keep my ears open
and try to do a proper thing, maybe give some tobacco, and I'll
have my little phone there and record that song, and I'll go home
and I'll learn it. And I enjoy that experience of learning it, because
you'll learn stories about your own people and you hear old words
in those songs that are being lost, and you can bring those words
back."
On Honor Songs "My main focus in the songs I carry is for honoring
reasons, to honor people and to help when people need to set up
a drum and ask for an honor song. They're meant to uplift someone
who's done something good. A lot of times in society today, we get
so focused on the negative that we forget to acknowledge those that
are doing positive things. And, in our culture, we've had these
songs for probably thousands of years that are for that purpose.
And that's a good way for us to get stronger as a nation."
On Using Dakota Language in Football "We're trying to find different places to utilize
the language, so [kids] are not just learning it, and not being
able to use it somewhere. So we're trying to find other avenues
we can go down for using the language, and football's one of them,
so we call all of our plays in Dakota language, and that's really
helping the kids find a purpose for it. I learned that from football
teams in Hawaii that use Hawaiian language.
"Before the season starts I'll tell them the story of the code
talkers. That sticks in their minds cause I'll tell them, how are
these other teams going to catch you in four quarters when these
other countries couldn't catch it in ten years?"
On Hawaiians as Inspiration "The Hawaiians are a pretty resilient people. They
brought their language up from only 5 percent [first language native
Hawaiian] speakers. I like to use them as role models, and think
highly of them for that and think if they can do it we can do it,
and use their proven methods here to better ourselves linguistically."
On Language and Moving Forward "We've been through a lot here. A lot of assimilation,
a lot of being en-cultured into a foreign society that we weren't
used to. The Dakota people were colonized just over 100 years ago,
and to be colonized is a traumatic experience for any people. It
takes a long time to come out of a colonization, when you were so
used to your own culture.
"So, we make it point to remind these kids that it's no holds
barred right now. There's nothing holding us back from learning
our songs, our dances, our stories, our culture. Matter of fact,
Obama, the government different people are all telling us
how important it is that we start using these now to begin our identity.
Those things were taken from us, but it's our job to get them back,
and there's nothing holding us back."
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