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One woman's push to save the Dakota language

For four Dakota communities in Minnesota, it's their language that's in danger of disappearing.

MORTON, Minn. - Last fall, the Lower Sioux Indian Community lost Trulo Columbus -- the tribe's last fluent speaker of the Dakota language.

Deaths like his to Vanessa Goodthunder represent the potential death of the language she loves.

"I was like oh my goodness, who's going to be speaking with me? How are we going to keep our ceremonies? How are we going to keep our songs?" Goodthunder wondered

Goodthunder grew up on the Lower Sioux Indian Community in south central Minnesota, loving everything about her tribe's traditions.

"So I told myself I'm going to dedicate my life to my language," Goodthunder said.

By the time she earned her master's degree at the U of M, less than five fluent Dakota speakers in the entire state were still living.

That gave her the idea to open an immersion school, for Early Head Start and preschool students, where the teachers will only speak Dakota.

A former play center attached to the Jackpot Junction casino is under renovation. And 74 children are signed up to start this summer.

After the school opens, there inevitably will be children who can speak Dakota better than their parents. But there will be classes offered to them as well. And parents are excited about it.

"The smaller they start, the more they soak it up and retain. So I think if they can have this opportunity, if this is my son or daughter, I'll do anything I can to make that happen," said Robert Larsen.

Larsen remembers a time Lower Sioux children weren't allowed to learn the Dakota language. Minnesota's history dealing with Native American tribes is ugly.

"That language is a big part of what makes us who we are," Larsen said.

And now, thanks to a 24-year-old who loves her community, the youngest generation hopefully will preserve it.

The tribe received a $1.9 million grant from the federal office of Head Start to make Vanessa's dream a reality.

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