Details

Storyteller: Summer
Tribe: Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe
Created: 2018
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Transcript: I grew up as a suburban Native in a predominantly white town outside of Chicago, Illinois. I was actually born in Minnesota, but only lived here briefly after my birth. It wasn’t until I came to Minnesota again that I realized the significance of being born here, then returning. I was the only Native student in my entire town which felt lonely sometimes. I didn’t grow up knowing my culture much despite going to my tribes yearly powwow and rodeo, but I knew I was Native and that’s how I was identified by my peers throughout elementary, middle, and high school. It was something I wasn’t sure what that meant though. I knew words from Dakota language here and there that my mom taught me, but really-that was the extent of it. As I grew older though, I started to take a greater interest in learning what being Native American meant. I hadn’t quite grasped the concept of being *Dakota* though. I took a larger interest in Dakota language probably my junior year of high school. I started skimming through language books that my mom had and listened a bit more to my kunsi when she spoke. It wasn’t something I took too seriously though, just a side hobby almost. Senior year came around and I was accepted into the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. I had been accepted by other colleges, but the U stood out the most to me. From the start, I had Native recruiters and admissions people reach out to me and show how much Native American support there was on campus; when I came for a visit, they told me about the Dakota language program. This was something none of the other colleges had ever done for me-reach out and show me what resources there were, especially for a displaced Native person like myself. It really wasn’t until I came to the U and met other Native people and learned more about what it meant to be Dakota, not just Native, that impacted who I am now. Having that support that I never knew I needed changed me. The most influential part of my college experience though has been the Dakota language classes. This class really provided the basis for me to get out of my shell and learn more about what it meant to be Dakota. I can remember that in high school, I was always very shy and quiet, always felt anxious. I guess on further reflection, this could have been due to how I grew up. It was dysfunctional and I didn’t realize it until later. As far as school went, I felt alienated based off my skin tone and heritage; being the only Native person at school was isolating. I also never realized how different my home life was compared to others. My mom was gone for a year I think, stationed in Iraq after 9/11, but after she came back, she was depressed, had PTSD and other PTSD related outbreaks. This manifested in rage during my younger years, which caused her and my dad to divorce, and alcoholism as I grew up. I don’t really remember her much before she went to Iraq. I suppose hindsight is 20/20 but I think I’m realizing how much that impacted me now. BUT, through the language program here, I’ve come out of that shell and have become very involved in learning more about my culture. It’s been healing and therapeutic to learn the language that my past relatives spoke. Healing from trauma that I learned comes with being Native in US society. It’s connected me with something I never realized that was missing in my life. I was never super close with either of my parents’ families but reconnecting with the language encouraged me to get closer with my mom’s side of the family. I remember working my freshman year of college, barely into the language program, when I met a relative at this Native American store I worked at. When we talked, we realized we were related, and when she learned I was taking the language classes, I remember her saying “You know your kunsi, your grandma, is a very good speaker, one of the best I know.” And that blew my mind. That one sentence really encouraged me to learn Dakota as much as I could. Now I had this direct connection I never really realized existed. This encouraged me to continue on my path. I don’t think I’d be as successful where I am right now if I hadn’t become more understanding of what it means to be Dakota. In a way, it’s almost like I was called to come back here to Minnesota. I was born here, but never considered this my home. But then I learned the creation story for Dakota people, and learned that Minnesota is Dakota homeland after I started going to school here. It’s like coming full circle. If I hadn’t come here, hadn’t taken the language classes, I don’t think I’d be nearly as successful as I am now.