Language Loss & Law on Cheyenne River Reservation
The Lakota Language is at a pivotal point of survival on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe as we roughly have 167 fluent speakers compared to the July 2022 C.R.S.T. tribal enrollment reports of 24,990 current enrolled members. To combat the loss of language we must reinforce and strengthen current policies or write new laws that protect and support our Lakota Language. We have laws currently but are outdated or not supported by current tribal council representatives as there is always lack of funding or little to no effort in securing funding for language revitalization efforts on our reservation from our tribe.
In 1995, C.R.S.T. Ordinance 66, the Lakota Language and Education Code, was passed through the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal council and became tribal law. The Tribal Ordinance establishes the guidelines for preserving and protecting the Lakota Language on the Cheyenne River Reservation and highlights federal legislation, the Native American Languages Act (1990) and the Indian Self-Determination Act (1973). The C.R.S.T. Ordinance 66 is a serious attempt at building a foundation of strategic educational avenues and preserving the Lakota Language and Culture. The Ordinance also, attempts to bridge the gap between the entities operating on the reservation with the tribe, and the community.
However, remaining in compliance with Ordinance 66, our tribe should have a Lakota Language Advisory Board, Lakota Language Department, and a Lakota Language Compliance Officer. Currently, the board, positions, and department are non existent and have not been for over a decade. These key roles are crucial in preserving and promoting our language through community awareness, classes, and influence. If we proceed further without acknowledging that our language is literally in danger of becoming only written on our reservation, it will become a reality for our future generations.
Therefore, I propose we add amendment (C) to the C.R.S.T. Ordinance 66, to strengthen outdated policy and write stronger tribal legislation that will allow for our language to be mandatory in all businesses, programs, and collaborate with non-member business, non-profit organizations, and educational institutes. In addition, we need to make it priority to secure funding through federal, state, and foundational grants and federal dollars set aside specifically for Language and Culture revitalization. The Lakota Language Advisory Board must be handled as a tribal board of directors and most members must be fluent or proficient in Lakota Language. The Lakota Language Compliance Officer will be created again under the establishment of the new tribal program, the C.R.S.T. Culture and Language Department. It is vital for the Compliance Officer to enforce new policy, rules, and procedures for operating on the reservation. We must have strict rules created by the Lakota Language Advisory Board and Compliance Officer for each business, program, and educational foundation operating on the reservation.
Considering all this, we need to act instead of talk as many will state they do support the language revitalization movement but if there is no support especially, financially, our Lakota Language will continue to decline through the generations.
S.2167 - 101st Congress (1989-1990): Native American languages act. (n.d.), Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.congress.gov/bill/101st-congress/senate-bill/2167
S.1017 - 93rd Congress (1973-1974): An act to... - library of Congress. (n.d.). Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.congress.gov/bill/93rd-congress/senate-bill/1017
