Interview · South Dakota · Eli Tail Sr. · OSEU 3
Themes: Land & stewardship, Language & revitalization, Identity & belonging, Education & learning, Values & generosity, Listening & observation, Children & young people
Learn About questions
In what ways did the US Government take away language?
What does the word takoja mean?
In what ways do some schools cause children to lose their language?
How has the loss of language, horses, tipis, etc. impacted the Lakota people?
Learn From questions
Have I ever experienced the loss of something important to my identity? What was it like and how did I deal with it?
What has been my experience of school?
Are there things about my identity that have been lost through my participation in school or other groups?
Transcripts
The Loss of Language - Eli Tail Sr. - OSEU 3
Watch this interview on YouTubeIn 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.
Resource text
From the current WoLakota source page:
The Loss of Language
Eli Tail Sr.
Transcript
(deep listening, information)
(deep listening, information)
Some indexed text was extracted from scanned material. Check the original source for exact wording and spelling.
Source materials
Supplied transcript document. Text preserved as supplied; spellings and transcription uncertainties have not been corrected.
Additional source transcripts
The Loss of Language
The Loss of Language - Eli Tail Sr. - OSEU 3
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.