The South Dakota Senate is unanimously passing a bill that codifies the language of the O'ceti Sakowin as the state’s official indigenous language.
Democratic State Senator Troy Heinert is the prime sponsor of the bill. He says the bill is important for the state’s tribal communities.
Heinert points to prior testimony in committee from native elders down to six year old’s.
“Speaking their indigenous language in the halls of this capitol,” Heinert says. “That’s something, I’m sure, those elders never thought they would see happen, that their grandchild would be able to speak in their native tongue in their own capitol. Because it wasn’t too long ago that was forbidden.”
If passed, Heinert says South Dakota could be the first of the lower forty-eight states to codify and recognize indigenous languages.
The bill recognizes three dialects among South Dakota tribes as Lakota, Dakota and Nakota.