Cultural Ties and the Oglala Lakota College (OLC) Cheyenne River College Center are proud to host the Oceti Sakowin Living Languages Summit on Saturday, May 3, 2025, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (MT).  The summit is a community-based language initiative rooted in the belief that our languages must live in the homes, schools, and hearts of our people. It brings together immersion programs, educators, fluent speakers, grassroots organizers, and adult learners from across the Oceti Sakowin to celebrate, strengthen, and strategize the future of our languages.

In the face of ongoing threats to tribal sovereignty, educational autonomy, and cultural expression, this gathering responds with unity and action. Language is more than communication—it is identity, worldview, and resistance. As political shifts continue to challenge Indigenous self-determination, the urgency to protect and sustain our languages has never been greater.

The summit offers a space to share lessons learned, successful models, and community-driven approaches that ensure the sustainability of the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota languages for generations to come. Together, we will explore what it means to live with language—to learn it, teach it, and thrive within it—in our own way, on our own lands, and with our own voices.