Aunpetu Was'te - Have a good day. Meaning we are choosing to make the most of each day and walk in a positive way with our language and culture. Deep respect and awareness of all living things around us.
Iwanglaka - Look at yourself. Look within yourself. This takes on different meanings depending on the context. Knowing your spirit and purpose so you are not influenced so easily by media, commercials and groupthink. If you don't know yourself deeply you will stay on the surface and blow where the wind takes you.
Mitakuye Oyasin - We are all related. We are all connected. Humans but all living things have a reason to be here and should be respected.
These are a few of the treasured words of the Lakota language that Bryant High Horse and George McAuliffe have a passion for the world to know— and mostly for the Lakota people to know. In their quest to preserve their native tongue, these two men made a film now streaming on PBS—Oyate Woyaka.
A spokesperson for the film explains--"...
Indigenous languages are at risk -- and without immense support, Lakota, the language of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, will likely be extinct within the next fifteen years. Oyate Woyaka highlights how valuable indigenous language and culture is to the world. In addition to restoring the language within the community and using it to heal from historical trauma, Indigenous languages can help the world address biodiversity loss, mental health and climate change.
Indigenous culture has a long history of suppression due to racism and colonization. In July 2021, the Oyate Woyaka production team followed the Sicangu Oyate as they brought home the human remains of nine children from the Carlisle Boarding School cemetery for ceremony and burial in their ancestral land. The children had been left there for 142 years. As horrifying as this history is, it still lives in the present day lives of indigenous people. Many of the elders in Oyate Woyaka survived boarding schools. The film allows those elders to express the historical, cultural and spiritual significance of these events and how we can move forward, together, as a nation.
The concept for Oyate Woyaka was spurred when a fluent Lakota elder, Bryant High Horse, connected with his nephew, George McAuliffe. Bryant suggested they make a documentary with fluent Lakota speakers to bring attention to the value of Indigenous languages and the pressing need to preserve what is left. Over the past four years, that conversation has grown to include a large circle of incredible elders, spiritual leaders, activists and artists, all collaborating to tell this urgent story..."
Here, Picture This Post (PTP)
speaks with Bryant High Horse and George McAuliffe of Oyate Woyaka (OW)
(PTP) Why did you devote your time and energies to making Oyate Woyaka?
(OW) Throughout our life we have seen our language and culture slip away before our eyes. We created this documentary as a reminder of who we are and what we have been through. Our hope is to inspire everyone in this country to remember who they were before they were forced to trade their language and culture for English. We are all connected.
Language and culture go hand in hand. You can not have one fully thriving without the other. For instance, you could translate Lakota to English but it will lose the deeper meaning, philosophy and connection if you do not have culture connected. Our language is a unique view of reality that respects the water, trees, animals and all humans. Everything that moves. We can see how industry and economy respect profit over the health and sacred connection of life and our languages offer an alternate way of seeing and being in this universe.
Why is this work especially important now?
We come from an oral tradition and in a perfect world, that is the only way language should be preserved. Oral tradition allows your mind to grow through listening and thought. That being said, we are at a place where language is not reinforced at home because ninety percent of Lakota households do not have a fluent speaker in the home. So now we need all hands on deck and people of all ages to seek out fluent speakers, learn their languages and start speaking to the babies again. Immersion schools are a step in the right direction.
This requires immense financial support because of the political and economic realities facing people on the reservation. It is hard to focus on language because it is a struggle to survive financially. But that being said, many of the negative behaviors like alcoholism, drug abuse, violence, suicide, unemployment stem from loss of language and culture. People are stuck between worlds and suffering. There is much support needed.
What are your hopes for the future regarding reconciliation and healing from this dark history?
As a Lakota community, we understand history and feel we can help many cultures once the language and health of our communities are restored. The way forward is for everyone to remember who they are. White, Black, Brown, Native, Asian. Everyone remember they come from a beautiful culture with a beautiful language and if they remember their language, they will remember themselves. This can be done through spirituality and prayer, however you practice that. Mitakuye Oyasin. We are all related.
How do the children react when they begin to learn their ancestral language?
You can see their joy for learning increase and their attention and focus improve. They are in an environment that values their culture and language. It's an immensely powerful, healing tool for children.
President Biden recently made a public apology regarding the use of Indian boarding schools. How did the subjects of your film react to this?
It is a start. Where there is apology, there is hope. It shows we are valued and that our story is believed. We ask that energy and funding go into preserving and revitalizing our languages because that will help us heal.
To watch Oyate Woyaka get the PBS Passport App and/or visit your local NPR station for more info.
Photos courtesy of Oyate Woyaka film.
