Lakota

Lakota, also referred to as Lakhota, Teton or Teton Sioux, is a Siouan language spoken by the Lakota people of the Sioux tribes. Lakota is mutually intelligible with the two dialects of the Dakota language, especially Western Dakota, and is one of the three major varieties of the Sioux language. Speakers of the Lakota language make up one of the largest Native American language speech communities in the United States, with approximately 2,000 speakers, who live mostly in the northern plains states of North Dakota and South Dakota. Many communities have immersion programs for both children and adults. The language was first put into written form by European American missionaries around 1840. The orthography has since evolved to reflect contemporary needs and usage. History and origin The Lakota people's creation stories say that language originated from the creation of the tribe. Other creation stories say language was invented by Iktomi.