LAKOTA LANGUAGE AND CULTURE CLASSROOM

About the Instructor
Milton Mesteth, a descendant of the Oglala, Sichangu and Cheyenne River Bands, grew up on the Pine Ridge Reservation surrounded by Lakhota Spirituality, Culture, and Language. He graduated from Red Cloud High School in 2001, and attended college in Omaha, Nebraska before returning back to enroll in OLC. He has worked with the Red Cloud-OLL school system since 2002 in Lakhota Studies.

Milton is also proud of his Northern Cheyenne ancestry, and is a descendant of a survivor from the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890. He enjoys playing and demonstrating Traditional Lakhota Games, playing traditional Lakhota love songs on the flute, and is an avid coin collector.

He is also a founding member of the re-establishment of the Badger Society on the Pine Ridge Reservation; which is working to re-educate the community on Lakhota Spirituality and Culture through various means. He was chosen as one of two leaders of the society for his knowledge of the Badger Society structure, regalia, and songs.

Milton was inspired to teach Lakhota Studies during his junior year at Red Cloud by Dr. Agnes Picotte, who was the Lakhota Language Instructor in the high school at the time. He decided to make that dream come true by enrolling at OLC to pursue his degree in Lakhota Studies.

Curriculum
Milton uses two curriculums for the middle school students: one focusing on Culture, History, and Spirituality; the second focusing on Language.

“My main goal during the last three years was to pass on the Lakhota Creation Story to the students. This story alone took the winter season to tell in the old days. The Creation Story is like a tree: the main story is the trunk, and there are various other stories that are the branches. So much material can be taught just through the Creation Story.”

In fact, Milton’s entire curriculum for Culture, History, and Spirituality is centered around the Creation Story. He has developed various materials to supplement the stories. These materials include: quizzes, word searches, maps, color templates, illustrated notes, and art projects.

Milton uses the materials developed by the Lakhota Language Consortium, as well as others, to teach the language in the classroom.