Interview · South Dakota · Kevin Locke · OSEU 3
Themes: Language & revitalization, Kinship & family, Healing & resilience, Values & generosity, Culture & continuity, Listening & observation
Learn About questions
What is happening in relation to the Lakota language revitalization efforts? What about other efforts with other threatened native or indigenous languages?
How do people in the US compare with others around the globe concerning facility with multiple languages? What might account for these differences?
What are the differences between having a particular language as you “native language” and having that language as a “second language”? How do these impact the speaker differently?
What are the elements from Lakota ancestral heritage that contribute to a stronger Global society? Why are these contributions sometimes overlooked?
Learn From questions
What is your “native” language? What experiences have you had with additional languages? How has that impacted you?
What do you think of Mr. Lock referring to recognition of beauty in some other heritage.-including his own Lakota heritage-as becoming “wakeful”? How do you view the process of becoming appreciative of another heritage? What opportunities have you had to do this?
Mr. Lock says,
“The human spirit transcends language and culture and gender and geography and everything…and yet there’s something there that is priceless heritage that we can bring with us now and contribute in the world in which ALL people are bringing gifts.”
What do you think of this statement about how we share our specific cultural gifts while keeping sight of the larger, “human family” picture? What implications might this have in your life? In our country? On our planet?
Transcripts
The Gifts of Language and Heritage - Kevin Locke - OSEU #3
Watch this interview on YouTubeYou know one of which of course is this Lakota language revitalization. That takes a lot of resiliency too. A lot of times people feel linguistically challenged. For instance, if you speak two languages it’s bilingual, but if you speak three what is that called? How about more than three? How about one? That’s American, right? We have that fossilized in our mind that we can only use one language. But the rest of the world isn’t like that. The rest of the world is very adaptable and can use many languages with facility. I like Lakota because I can use it. It’s great.
I’m a second language learner. I’m not a native speaker of Lakota. I always thought I was all alone. And I think I was for many years. But now I can see that there is this movement. And to me, I’m relatively detached from whether Lakota language becomes fully revitalized. I think it would be nice. But, the exciting thing to me is that it represents a shift in consciousness. It represents…like coming into wakefulness…people realizing there is something beautiful in the heritage. People realizing that we have something wonderful and essential to contribute to an emerging global civilization. And that some of that is connected to our ancestral heritage. In a way, that’s linked to language.
Although we do know, you and I know, the human spirit transcends language and culture and gender and geography…everything you see.
And yet we know there is something there that is a priceless heritage that we can bring with us now and contribute in this world in which all people are bringing their gifts.
Resource text
OSEU 3: INTERVIEW WITH KEVIN LOCKE
WoLakota Project
From the current WoLakota source page:
The Gifts of Language & Heritage
Kevin Locke
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 Gifts of Language & Heritage
The Gifts of Language and Heritage - Kevin Locke -
OSEU #3
You know one of which of course is this Lakota language revitalization. That takes a lot
of resiliency too. A lot of times people feel linguistically challenged. For instance, if you
speak two languages it’s bilingual, but if you speak three what is that called? How about
more than three? How about one? That’s American, right? We have that fossilized in
our mind that we can only use one language. But the rest of the world isn’t like that. The
rest of the world is very adaptable and can use many languages with facility. I like
Lakota because I can use it. It’s great.
I’m a second language learner. I’m not a native speaker of Lakota. I always thought I
was all alone. And I think I was for many years. But now I can see that there is this
movement. And to me, I’m relatively detached from whether Lakota language becomes
fully revitalized. I think it would be nice. But, the exciting thing to me is that it represents
a shift in consciousness. It represents…like coming into wakefulness…people realizing
there is something beautiful in the heritage. People realizing that we have something
wonderful and essential to contribute to an emerging global civilization. And that some
of that is connected to our ancestral heritage. In a way, that’s linked to language.
Although we do know, you and I know, the human spirit transcends language and
culture and gender and geography…everything you see.
And yet we know there is something there that is a priceless heritage that we can bring
with us now and contribute in this world in which all people are bringing their gifts.