Our Language

Dakota is a dialect of Očeti Sakowin Ikče iapi. Dakota, Lakota and Nakota are the 3 dialects of the Očet Šakowiŋ. Dakota iapi is spoken is Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Dakota is divided into two dialects Isanti/Sisituŋwaŋ (Eastern Dakota) and ihaŋktuŋwaŋ/ihaŋktuŋwaŋna (Western Dakota).

Out of a population of 20,000 Dakota, only 290 speakers are left. Most of these speakers speak the Sisituŋwaŋ dialect. Bdewakaŋtuŋwaŋ and Waȟpekute speak the Isaŋi dialect. The Isaŋti Dialect is spoken in Lower Sioux, Prairie Island, Shakopee, Santee, Flandreau, Spirit Lake, Ft. Peck, Sioux Valley, Canunpawakpa, Birdtail, Whitecap and Standing Buffalo. There are very few speakers in Minnesota and currently no 1st language speakers in the Lower Sioux Indian Community.

One of the goals of the website is to create a Dakota Iapi Repository. This will be a central location for all Dakota Iapi resources (videos, curriculum, apps, links to other websites and an online module). We want to make Dakota iapi easily accessible to as many people as possible.