Lakota

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This photo shows a white buffalo calf born on June 4, 2024, in the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park, a spiritually significant event for many Native American tribes. Jordan Creech/via AP hide caption

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Jordan Creech/via AP

National

Tribes honor the birth of rare white buffalo and reveal its name: Wakan Gli

June 27, 2024 • The moment marked the highlight of a Native American ceremony to commemorate the calf's birth that featured the retelling of how a mysterious woman brought a message of reassurance during hard times.

In Lakota Nation, people are asking: Who does a language belong to?

What's the best way to revitalize a language? In the Lakota Nation, that's very much up for debate. Jackie Lay/NPR hide caption

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Jackie Lay/NPR

Code Switch

In Lakota Nation, people are asking: Who does a language belong to?

March 27, 2024 • Many Lakota people agree: It's imperative to revitalize the Lakota language. But how exactly to do that is a matter of broader debate. Should Lakota be codified and standardized to make learning it easier? Or should the language stay as it always has been, defined by many different ways of writing and speaking? We explore this complex, multi-generational fight that's been unfolding in the Lakota Nation, from Standing Rock to Pine Ridge.

In Lakota Nation, people are asking: Who does a language belong to?

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