South Dakota... Really?

Go therefore and serve... where? Panama, Peru, Thailand, Chile, Patagonia, Korea, South Dakota... wait, what?

"While I was away, Mary witnessed in a business area where no one was interested in talking about the Bible. The people there had come from Portugal to Brazil to make money. Mary felt discouraged and said to some of her friends, “The last place on earth I would want to live is Portugal.” Soon after that, we received a letter. It was an invitation to serve in Portugal, where our preaching work was under ban. Mary was shocked! But we accepted the assignment and moved to Portugal." (ws17 February pp. 27-30)

One trip to Sioux Falls some thirty years ago convinced me South Dakota was not the state for me. So, when I asked a brother if I were to learn a Native American language, which one should it be, Lakota made me stagger a bit. Sure did sound a lot like Dakota. Turns out he is Dakota by blood.

Honestly, I didn't take it too seriously. I've wanted to leave this country since I was four. I steered clear of languages that could keep me in this country - AMERICAN Sign Language, Native AMERICAN languages, and even Spanish. Lo and behold, what path have I taken? Spanish, ASL and, now, Lakota.

But, here's the thing about Lakota... It's a beautiful language. There's such depth of intellect and spirituality. The language stops to appreciate the meaning, and the meaning could be so simple. For example, car is iyéčhiŋkyaŋke. What does that translate literally as? "By itself it runs." A Pine Ridge medicine man graciously shared with me that 'the Lakota language is a spiritual language.' I pray I can show the level of respect to native speakers that is deserved as I learn and practice this challenging tongue.

The Lakota people have struggled gravely to bring back their beloved tongue. A century of oppression on their language and culture has instilled such distrust that when you ask if they speak Lakota they hesitate to answer you. To trust that big, white people won't abuse them and their language is a tall order, indeed.