Sioux Language

The Sioux, also known as the Dakota, are an amalgam of 3 groups of 7 different tribes (known as the Great Sioux Nation) that speak three different languages, with several dialects among them. The Siouan languages are a family of Native American languages indigenous to North America. The Sioux continue to speak their native tongues today, despite intrusion by European settlers, and eventual conversion to the new language (English) and religious practices (Christianity). Today the language continues to be spoken by over 26,000 Sioux in Northern Nebraska, Southern Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Northeastern Montana, and even Canada.

The Sioux have a long and renowned history as proud warriors. But, the Sioux originally subsisted as hunter-gatherers and lived around Lake Superior, Michigan. Around 1650, they were pushed into North and South Dakota by the Cree and Chippewa tribes. At this point, the Sioux became nomadic and began hunting buffalo. Eventually, they evolved into the warrior tribes that they are historically known as today.

The three major groups of Sioux were known as the Dakota, Nakota, and Lakota, which consisted of several smaller tribes within. These groups were regional, and the Sioux languages they spoke were also regional, and included several dialects. The Dakota and Nakota languages are directly associated with one another in the family of Siouan languages, and are made up of quite a few sub-dialects.

The Sioux language is melodious, elaborate, and adaptable. Because of these traits, the Sioux language produced more Native American literature than any of the other United State Native American tribes, except for perhaps the Cherokee Nation. Like so many other native tongues, the Sioux languages have the ability to express a thought or idea uniquely, in its own way, and that thought or idea cannot be replicated properly in any other language, especially the English language.

In the mid 19th century, some time after the Europeans settled in the region, Presbyterian missionaries developed a standard Sioux alphabet. This enabled nearly all Sioux men to read and to compose in their native Sioux language. There is a great deal of Christian literature, as well as school texts and dictionaries composed entirely in Sioux. Despite the conversion of many Sioux people to Christianity, and the permeation of the English language into Sioux life, there remain today many Sioux natives who speak their native language. However, like many other Native American cultures, the language is somewhat endangered. Today, one half of all Sioux individuals do not live on the Reservation, having immersed themselves into urbanized society. But that does not mean that the Sioux have gone away or will go away any time soon.

Today, the Sioux language and culture are enthusiastically sustained, even though most Sioux are practicing Christians. The Sioux understand the importance of preserving their native language and culture for many reasons. They maintain their belief in their fundamental right to communicate in their own language. It is vital to do this for the accurate and faithful passing along of Sioux history, beliefs, and culture to subsequent generations. This often comes in the form of traditional stories, songs, chants, rituals, and even prayers. To deny the Sioux people the ability to do this in their native Sioux language would be to rob them and the rest of the world of a hugely significant and interesting culture.