Popular Categories

Oceti Sakowin Educational Resources Revised and Reprinted

CAIRNS ETANHAN WOTANIN



 

 

To contribute to the emerging corpus of researchbased educational resources about Oceti Sakowin histories and cultures, the Center for American Indian Research and Native Studies has been developing a series of educator handbooks and student textbooks. The Oceti Sakowin confederacy is organized into three divisions: Dakota, Nakota and Lakota. This series covers the confederacy in general, but its main focus is the Lakota division.

Four titles comprise this series of educational resources, each consisting of an educator handbook and a student textbook. The first one, Oceti Sakowin Origins and Development, outlines the establishment of the Oceti Sakowin confederacy and provides census information about residents of the Oceti Sakowin reservations in the United States and the reserves in Canada, along with data about the twenty-five tribes and first nations that comprise the confederacy today.

Lakota Origins and Development, the second title, examines the origins and development of the Lakota division of the Oceti Sakowin confederacy. The third title, Tribes and Reservations in South Dakota, provides census information about residents of the nine reservations in South Dakota, plus data about the nine tribes and their citizens. The final title in this series is Lakota Kinship, which explores relationships from the beginning of the Lakota universe to today.

Each book includes content sections full of academically reliable and culturally relevant information, along with a glossary of key Lakota words that appear in its text, and a phonetic guide for pronouncing them, and a bibliography of resources used in compiling the book. These sections facilitate using and understanding Lakota language, and promote deeper research into the topics presented.

Teacher handbooks also includes another content section, “Suggested Activities,” that contains sixteen sample classroom activities. These activities cover four content areas at four levels of grades (K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12). Each sample activity is based on information presented in the handbook, which illustrates that the rich information can be integrated into all content areas and grade levels.

Three of the series’ books have been revised and are being reprinted. These titles include the teacher handbook and the student textbook versions of Tribes and Reservations in South Dakota, and the student textbook version of Oceti Sakowin Origins and Development.

We believe that teaching about American Indian topics must be grounded in our four Rs of Rigor, Reliability, Respect and Relevance. Rigor is the setting of high standards and then assisting learners in achieving them. It is understanding that the study of American Indian issues is an academic undertaking and is worthy of scholarly methods and critiques.

Reliability means that the content we develop can be trusted, that it is based on evidence and research, and that it is consistently of high quality. Reliable work welcomes critical discussion regarding its content.

Respect means that all educational activities dealing with American Indians and Indian communities must avoid demeaning or denigrating traditional tribal perspectives and beliefs. They need not be believed, but learners must know enough about the traditions and beliefs to avoid disrespecting them.

Relevance is education which is useful to American Indians and Indian communities today and into the future. Relevance means that educational activities recognize, support and promote tribal sovereignty. It means that studying American Indian histories and cultures resonates with learners and helps them develop skills and knowledge that will assist them throughout their lives.

The Center for American Indian Research and Native Studies is committed to advancing knowledge and understanding of issues important to American Indian communities, and education is one of those issues. These publications contribute strongly to that commitment.

To order copies of these and other publications, visit our website www.nativecairns.org.

Center for American Indian Research and Native Studies: CAIRNS is an Indian-controlled nonprofit research and education center founded in 2004 and located in the Lacreek District of Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

*The Center for American Indian Research and Native Studies is an Indian-controlled nonprofit research and education center founded in 2004 and located in the Lacreek District of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.