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LLC was recently asked to participate in an issue of the Canadian literary magazine Ellipse dedicated to writings in indigenous languages of North America. In the 2006-2007 issue, no. 78, LLC Linguistic Director Jan Ullrich translated a three-page English poem into Lakota. ‘Where Did She Go,’ by Emma LaRocque, a Plains Cree-Metis writer from Alberta, Canada, is a moving reminiscence of the traditional, indigenous culture and life-ways taught by her mother and relatives in Alberta. We hope that this example will lead to many kinds of writing and translations into Lakota and from Lakota into English, and provides inspiration for other writers to write poems and stories to share with readers

Where Did She Go? / Tókhi iyaya He?

That orange-red glow from an old black woodstove in Sapp’s “Making Rabbit Soup” Teased out a pain, a memory so deep¸ of a life, a way of life, of a face, many faces, of smells, of sweetgrass smells of stories told in a language I will never know again.	Mazóčhethi tȟaŋníla na sápa kiŋ hé zíša iyóyaŋbya hé. Sapp "Maštíŋska waháŋpi káǧapi kiŋ" tȟáwa kiŋ él. Čha hé uŋ iyókišil mahíŋgle, yazáŋ mahíŋgle. Ičhíŋ líla taŋyáŋ wéksuye hiŋglé. wičhóni waŋ wičhóȟ’aŋ waŋ ité waŋ ité óta wómna óta wačháŋǧa kiŋ wówaštemna wičhóoyake kiŋ hená iyápi waŋ uŋ oyákapi kiŋ hé Ičínuŋpani slolwáyiŋ kte šni.

Where do they go The voices that sang and cried and cooed swinging babies wrapped in canvas suspended by rope nailed to the browned poplar beams holding up the tar-papered roof?	Hená tókhi iyáyapi he? Wičháho kiŋ lowáŋpi k’uŋ hená čhéyapi k’uŋ hená Hokšíyopa kahúŋhuŋzapi eyá wičháyawaȟwalapi k’uŋ hená Hokšíyopa kiŋ mniȟúha šóka uŋ iyápehaŋpi Wáǧačhaŋ ipátaŋpi kiŋ thičhé ipátaŋ k’uŋ hená aókataŋpi na ikȟáŋtȟuŋyaŋ ǧeǧéyapi.


Where do they go The faces In many shades of brown aging in concentric circles like old cultured trees?	Hená tókhi iyáyapi he? Ité kiŋ hená épi. Hená ǧimnápi, ǧísapapi, ǧitkápi, ǧiǧípi, ǧíšapi Hená káŋ áyapi Čhokáya mimémeyela háŋpi Čháŋ eyá eháŋni ožúpi na khičháŋyaŋpi čha ákhilečhečapi

My grandmothers, my grandfathers, My aunts, my uncles, My mother Where did she go Her voice chanting Cree In the morning, Her voice cooing Cree to her babies In mid-afternoon Her voice crying. In the evening grieving the dusk of her ancient culture. Her voice raging in the night of her sorrow of Woman, her sorrow of Native.	Uŋčíwičhawaye kiŋ, tȟuŋkášilawičhawaye kiŋ hená Tȟuŋwíŋwičhawaye kiŋ, lekšíwičhawaye kiŋ Ináwičhawaye kiŋ, atéwičhawaye kiŋ Ináwaye kiŋ Tókhi iyáya he? Tȟahó kiŋ Lakȟólya lowáŋ Híŋhaŋni šna Tȟahó kiŋ wakȟáŋheža Lakȟólya wičháglaȟwala wíkhuwabya šna Ȟtayétu šna Tȟahó kiŋ čhéye Ičhíŋ eháŋni wičhóȟ’aŋ tȟáwa kiŋ ȟtamákȟaohaŋziya háŋ čha hé uŋ Tȟahó kiŋ čhaŋzéya čhéyaniya haŋhépi šna Wíŋyaŋ tȟawóiyokšiče kiŋ hé uŋ Ikčé Oyáte tȟawóiyokšiče kiŋ hé uŋ

Where did she go? Her face triumphant at chasing away Pehehsoo the Thunderbird from scaring her children. Her face in determination Swatting mosquitos away from her blueberries that will nourish her children. Her face in lilting laughter and animation Telling on Wisakehcha playing games on ducks and foxes Wisakehcha playing games on humanself.	Tókhi iyáya he? Ktélakel itéoyuze Wakíŋyaŋ kiŋ čhékiya wičháyaȟapa čha hé uŋ Ičhíŋ wakȟáŋheža kiŋ kȟokípȟewičhayapi kte Tȟawáčhiŋkič’uŋyaŋ itéoyuze Háza hetáŋhaŋ čhapȟúŋka ȟabȟábya kahíŋta Tȟawákȟaŋheža kiŋ hená yútapi okíhipi kte čha hé uŋ Otȟáŋtȟuŋyaŋ na šlišli iȟát’a iyéoyuze Iktómi ohúŋkakaŋ oyáke ečhúŋhaŋ Iktómi maǧáksiča na šuŋǧíla wičhágnaye Iktómi ikčé wičháša kiŋ wičhágnaye.

Where did she go Her face at rest - in zero absolute stillness posed for morticians it was almost more than I could bear. Her face, her voice fading in concentric circles. Damn crazy cells felled her like a mad axeman fells a regal northern tree.	Tókhi iyáya he? Lílaȟči ablákela na asníkiyakel itéoyuze ȟápi kiŋ ečhúŋhaŋ Líla iyótiyewakiye na kiníl čhaŋtówakihi šni Ité na hó Átȟaŋiŋ šni áye Čhokáya mimémeyela háŋ Čheȟpí kiŋ šičáwačhiŋ yutákuni šni áye čha yuúŋke Wičháša waŋ witkótkoyakel wazíčhaŋ kaúŋke Ákhilečheča

Where did she go? Her voice, her faces that wake me in the night Where did she go Her voices, her faces that turn my coffee into a cup of tears with the first wisp of day? Where did she go My great, ancient cultured Tree, My mother, My Cree?	Tókhi iyáya he? Ité na hó Haŋmíštiŋma eháŋ makáȟiče Tókhiya iyáya he? Ité na hó kiŋ hená Tȟokáhe áŋpaó kiŋháŋ wakȟálapi mitȟáwa kiŋ ki-íštamnihaŋpi hiŋglé Tókhi iyáya he? Čháŋ tȟáŋka ožúpi na khičháŋyaŋpi kiŋ mitȟáwa Ináwaye kiŋ, Lakȟóta mitȟáwa kiŋ

Other News:

Cultural Survival Quarterly of Cambridge, Massachusetts also dedicated their summer 2007 issue, Volume 31, to Endangered Native American languages. A sidebar in the article “On the Brink” by Jacob Mannatowa-Bailey, Director of the Sauk Language Department for the Sac and Fox Nation in Oklahoma, utilizes LLC’s explanation of how Lakota expresses words and concepts differently than in English, and how the language uses examples from nature and other phenomenon to elicit feeling and nuance not readily translatable into English. This documents some of the rich and unique ways that Lakota expresses itself.

The December 2006 issue of American Heritage Magazine, Volume 57/6, listed the Lakota Language Consortium in its Editor’s Choice for the best organization in the field of saving language for 2006.

South Dakota Public Radio will feature an hour-long interview with LLC Executive Director Wilhem Meya in its audio magazine “Food for Thought.” This live show, available across the state, begins broadcasting at 11 am Mountain Time, 12 noon Central, 1:00 pm Eastern, and will discuss some of the issues that led to the reduction in Lakota speakers and why it is important to reverse that trend. This show features recordings from LLC’s audio CDs of Lakota, and describe how these materials are being used in South Dakota public and tribal schools. How the language represents Lakota language and culture in unique and important ways will be highlighted.

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