Over 20 years ago, Native-led nonprofit Dakota Wicohan was formed in southwestern Minnesota with the vision of revitalizing and preserving the Dakota language.

Gabrielle Strong is vice chair for the organization’s board of directors. Her mother, Yvonne Leith, was one of three founders who started the grassroots organization.

“She was born a first language Dakota speaker and, as many others in her generation, experienced the brutality of the education system. Efforts to annihilate culture and annihilate language, that was her experience,” Strong said.

She says when Leith entered kindergarten, where English was the only spoken language, she slowly started to forget her first language over time.

“Later in life, she began her own personal journey and commitment to reclaim all of that,” Str

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