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05 Wolakota Project Video Transcripts and URLs.docx · WP-0027. Imported source record; individual Elder status and tribal affiliation are not inferred.
Reviewed JAG competency and OSEU connections
No reviewed JAG–OSEU–interview connection is published for this record. Search matches alone do not establish an alignment.
Interview transcript
In 1924…and from then on…to add on to a lot of things…they took our land, water rights, mineral rights…everything there. They took away my language. They took away everything. Now, I don’t have nothing. Well, I still got my name. I’m Lakota no more. I am a citizen of America. But anyway, we are trying to have our takojas, our grandchildren…the language…we are who we are. They’re not English people. But again, since their little ones, they have schools…they have to go to school…what’s that called…Kindergarten. They send them to Kindergarten to keep the Lakota…our language out of the way until they learn how…2nd, 3rd, 4th grade…and we get to 8th grade it’s gone. We lost our language. But that’s how…we’ve been conquered. That’s it. We used to live in tipis…not no more. We used to ride horses…not no more. We used to speak our language…not no more. I don’t know what else they can take away from me. I don’t have nothing to take, so just let me be here.