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Monthly Online Program Highlights Lakota Culture and Values

March 9, 2024

Respect, honor, courage, fortitude, generosity, and humility. These traditional Lakota values are the cornerstone for a monthly Lakota cultural and language instruction program produced by Friends of the Children – He Sapa, an independent nonprofit launched in 2022 that works with youth in Rapid City and the Pine Ridge Reservation, and supported by SDHC.

The next session of the online program, titled “Lakota Worldview: The Interrupted Journey,” is scheduled for March 13 at 1 p.m. CT/12 p.m. MT. To join the program, click here.

Richard “Rick” Two Dogs teaches each session. Two Dogs, whose Lakota name is Hmuya Mani (Walks With a Roaring), is a Wakan Iyeska (Interpreter of the Sacred), a respected wisdom keeper, spiritual leader, speaker, and elder of the Oglala Lakota. He has dedicated his life to sharing traditional knowledge to heal Lakota people. Additionally, he has served as an adjunct instructor for Oglala Lakota College, having taught Lakota history, language, philosophy, and traditional plants and foods.

The program, launched in 2023, is open to the public and consists of 13 sessions exploring a variety of topics related to Lakota traditional values. The sessions are designed to encourage cultural identity development among Indigenous youth and families through the instruction of the Lakota language, cultural practices, creativity, and lifeways to promote healing, harmony, and Wolakota (peace/balance) among families and to support the social, emotional, and cultural development of the Wakanyeja (children).

Past sessions, available for viewing online, have included the following titles:

Following are the dates and topics/meeting links for the remainder of the series:

For more information, contact SDHC at (605) 688-6113.


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