At a recent camp at Belwin Conservancy in Afton, Minnesota, children and adults spent the day learning a language that was almost wiped out.

"It was our ancestors who were told not to speak our language when they were children, and so they grew up kind of disconnected from the Dakota language," said Šišókaduta, linguistic director with Dakhota Iapi Okhodakichiye.

He says that because of that disconnect, the Dakota language — Dakhód'iapi — wasn't passed down. 

"And then that's kind of where the language started dying out," Šišókaduta said. 

But there are many people interested in learning the language of the Dakhóta people.

"We're keeping it alive. We're speaking it with each other, and we're encouraging more families to come together," said Dakhód'iapi language teacher Nichole Subola.

"That's what makes me smile, is to see the children speaking the language," Šišókaduta said.

Having participants speak the language while doing fun activities helps tie joy with learning.

"It's so important to keep that language and that culture alive and practicing," said Katie Bloome, executive director of the Belwin Conservancy.

The conservancy is a nonprofit with a mission to protect land and connect people to nature. The next day camp is set for Jan. 31, 2026.

You can find more information about speaking Dakota here, including their free language dictionary app called Dakhod Iapi Wichoie Wowapi.