Dakota Language Preservation classes were started again June 14th at Eastman Hall. The Dakota Language Preservation Committee met with Jerome Kills Small on June 10th at the FSST Higher Education offices. The FSST Executive Committee approved the hiring of Dakota/Lakota/Nakota Language instructor Jerome Kills Small. Jerome hails from Porcupine, SD originally and has been on staff with the University of South Dakota.
Carol Robertson, Renata Schroeppel and Amber Allen sent flyers around the community to announce the first classes with Jerome Kills Small would start on June 14th and June 16th. Dakota Language Classes will be every Monday and Wednesday night at Eastman Hall until further notices. From 6pm to 7pm will be a class for children and from 7pm to 9pm are adult classes.
There were twenty one present from the Tribal community for the first class on June 14th and eighteen on June 16th. Mr. Kills Small held a class for children with hand out lessons for learning Animals, Wamakhaskan, the “h” after g,k, t, and p” are guttaralized, “*” after the “h” is gutturalized, and “zh” is sounded like the “s” in pleasure. Examples of learning the names of animals were: dog-sunka, wolf-sungmanitu, fox sung-ghina,etc. A handout was provided for the parents and adults to work with children on “Phrases For Young Children” including learning to speak greetings, asking about things, asking people things, useful words, colors, concepts for older children (honor, kind, patience, brave, etc.) and naming a person.
The adults were given lessons for Weather, Immediate concerns (eg. help me, I want to go home, what do you see, etc.), working words and vocabulary.
Community members are invited to attend free Dakota Language Classes at Eastman Hall every Monday and Wednesday night. The Dakota Language Preservation committee will be planning to have more activities and classes for fall and distant learning classes at the FSST Education Center. Committee members and volunteers are: Carol Robertson, Renata Schroeppel, Everett Weston, Vine Drapeau, Sr., Jim Bill Ross and Warlene Yellow Cloud, Phillip Allen, JB Weston and Andrew Weston.-Editor
Jerome Kills Small is an Oglala Lakota from Porcupine, South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge Reservation. He graduated from the University of South Dakota with an M.A. in Selected Studies and has stayed on to teach Lakota language, American Indian Oratory and Argumentation, Siouan Tribal Culture, and Early American Indian History and Culture. Mr. Kills Small is also a storyteller and teacher of the Lakota language for the Head Start Program in Vermillion, SD.
Jerome is featured in books and videos, including: Wounded Warriors: A Time for Healing; Silver Anniversary Anthology; Sucker Punched; Nagi Kicopi (Calling Back the Spirit); Lost Landscapes; Bones of Contention (Repatriation and Reburial, BBC); Wisdom of the Elders; Oceti Sakowin (Seven Council Fires); and Wacipi (Powwow) for South Dakota Public Broadcasting. Jerome is a storyteller for museums, rendezvous, public schools and colleges. He sings, translates, and explains Lakota ceremonial, sweatlodge, vision quest (crying for a dream), rabbit dance, round dance, veteran (warrior), and powwow songs. Jerome is the recipient of the Distinguished Scholar Award in the Humanities for 2004, and the George Mickelson Reconciliation Award for 1994. Jerome also has a CD of Sweatlodge songs entitled: Inikagapi: Celebration of Life.
Source: http://www.usd.edu/arts-and-sciences/american-indian-studies/people.cfm |
