Camp at Belwin Conservancy focuses on teaching Dakota language: “We’re keeping it alive” – CBS News

Report on Dakota Language Revitalization Efforts and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction

A recent initiative at the Belwin Conservancy in Afton, Minnesota, focused on the revitalization of the Dakota language, an indigenous language facing extinction due to historical suppression. This report analyzes the program’s activities and its direct contributions to several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

• Event: Dakota Language Day Camp
• Location: Belwin Conservancy, Afton, Minnesota
• Objective: To teach the Dakota language to children and adults through immersive, seasonal activities, thereby reversing the effects of historical policies that disconnected generations from their native tongue.

Contribution to SDG 4: Quality Education

The language camp directly supports the targets of SDG 4 by promoting inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all.

1. Preservation of Linguistic Diversity: The program is a critical effort to safeguard intangible cultural heritage, ensuring that the Dakota language is passed to future generations. This aligns with the goal of promoting education that respects cultural diversity.
2. Lifelong Learning: By including both children and adults, the camp fosters an intergenerational learning environment, emphasizing that education is a continuous process.
3. Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: The use of seasonal activities ties language learning to cultural practices and joy, creating an effective and engaging educational model that is rooted in Dakota traditions.

Addressing SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

The revitalization of an indigenous language is a powerful tool for addressing the historical and systemic inequalities faced by indigenous communities, a core objective of SDG 10.

• Empowerment of Indigenous Peoples: By reclaiming their language, the Dakota people are strengthening their cultural identity and community cohesion, counteracting a legacy of marginalization.
• Cultural Justice: The initiative serves as a form of restorative justice for past policies that actively suppressed indigenous languages and cultures.
• Promoting Inclusion: Efforts to keep the language alive encourage broader community engagement and support, fostering a more inclusive society that values its indigenous heritage.

Fostering SDG 11 and SDG 15: Sustainable Communities and Life on Land

The program demonstrates a synergistic relationship between cultural preservation, community building, and environmental stewardship, contributing to both SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 15 (Life on Land).

• Safeguarding Cultural Heritage (SDG 11): The language is an essential component of the Dakota people’s cultural heritage. Its preservation strengthens the social fabric and resilience of the community.
• Connection to Nature (SDG 15): The camp is hosted by the Belwin Conservancy, a nonprofit dedicated to land protection. The curriculum’s focus on seasonal activities highlights the intrinsic link between Dakota culture and the natural environment, promoting respect for and conservation of local ecosystems.

Conclusion

The Dakota language camp is a significant local initiative with global relevance. It exemplifies how community-led efforts to preserve cultural heritage can simultaneously advance multiple Sustainable Development Goals. By fostering quality education (SDG 4), reducing inequalities (SDG 10), and strengthening the link between sustainable communities and the environment (SDG 11 and SDG 15), this program serves as a model for holistic and culturally-sensitive sustainable development.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

   The article highlights issues directly connected to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The primary focus on language revitalization and cultural preservation links the article to the following SDGs:

   • SDG 4: Quality Education: The article is centered around an educational initiative—a day camp designed to teach the Dakota language. This directly relates to providing inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.
   • SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: By focusing on the revitalization of an Indigenous language that was nearly “wiped out” due to historical suppression (“it was our ancesters who were told not to speak our language”), the article addresses the empowerment and social inclusion of the Dakota people, which is a core component of reducing inequalities within and among countries.
   • SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: This goal includes making human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. A key part of this is safeguarding cultural heritage. The efforts described in the article are a direct attempt to protect and preserve the intangible cultural heritage of the Dakota people.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

   Based on the activities and goals described, several specific SDG targets can be identified:

   • Under SDG 4: Quality Education

     • Target 4.7: “By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.”
       
       The language camp directly promotes the “appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.” The statement, “It’s so important to keep that language and that culture alive and practicing,” shows a clear focus on preserving cultural identity through education.

   • Under SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

     • Target 10.2: “By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.”
       
       The initiative to revive the Dakota language is an act of cultural empowerment for an Indigenous group that faced historical disconnection. The camp encourages “more families to come together,” fostering social inclusion and strengthening community identity against a backdrop of past marginalization.

   • Under SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

     • Target 11.4: “Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage.”
       
       The entire premise of the article is about safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. The efforts of teachers like Nichole Subola and linguists like Sisokaduta to teach the language are a direct action to protect it from dying out. The article explicitly states, “We’re keeping it alive. We’re speaking it with each other.”

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

   The article does not provide quantitative data but implies several qualitative indicators that can be used to measure progress:

   • Indicators for Target 4.7 and 10.2

     • Participation in cultural education: The number of participants (“children and adults”) attending the language camp is a direct indicator of engagement in education that promotes cultural diversity. The goal of “encouraging more families to come together” suggests that family participation is a key metric for success.
     • Intergenerational language transmission: The joy expressed by Sisokaduta “to see the children speaking the language” implies that a key indicator of success is the successful transmission of the language to the younger generation, reversing the trend where the language “wasn’t passed down.”

   • Indicators for Target 11.4

     • Existence of dedicated programs and organizations: The establishment of the day camp itself, along with the reference to the organization “dakhota.org,” serves as an indicator of active efforts and resources being mobilized to safeguard the language. The partnership with the Belwin Conservancy, a nonprofit, also indicates investment in these cultural preservation efforts.
     • Frequency of cultural activities: The mention that “the next day camp is in January” and that activities are done seasonally (“by the season and today, we were doing fall activities”) indicates a sustained, ongoing effort to protect and practice this cultural heritage, rather than a one-time event.

Summary of Findings

Source: cbsnews.com