Lakota Language is a strong language and the words can give power to your sentence. Lakota speakers can define words without writing them down, in today’s present time, Lakota words are written down for dictionaries. The Lakota dictionary is a book that is to show Non-Native Americans that the language is still alive and strong. The Lakota word I want to talk about is “Wiconi”, which means life. Wiconi is a Lakota word that has a strong meaning, because it means life, and life is sacred. Lakota people believe that life is sacred because we only have one and we must not waste it. Wiconi can be after another Lakota word and mean something else that is also very important. Example, Mni Wiconi, meaning water is life. Water is life was being used by the Dakota Access Pipeline protest to stop the pipeline in North Dakota.
Mr. Al Wounded Head Answered ten questions for this blog about the Lakota Language, Lakota words and meanings, values and virtues. The first question I asked “What is your name?” He answered with “My name is Al wounded head, I work for the TRIO program, at Oglala Lakota College/Pine Ridge College Center.” Second question, I asked “How fluent are you in the Lakota language?” Al answered “I am still beginner, not really fluent, and I am still in the understanding of the language.” Third question asked “How many Lakota words do you know?” Al answered with “I know 2 of the 4 directions, the Lakota word for wisdom and the other values.” Fourth question asked to Al “Do you know what the Lakota words mean, the ones you listed?” Al answered with “Yes I do what they mean, know how to use them a proper sentence, and know how to pronounce them, as well.”
The interview got spiritual, the fifth question I asked “I am doing a blog on “Meaning of a Lakota word” and my word is wiconi.” Continued question “What does Wiconi mean to you?” Al answered with “Wiconi means life, and the meaning is to understand life.” With his answer to the fifth question, they were also the answer to the sixth question. The sixth question asked “How do Lakota people use or represent “Wiconi” to others?” Al answered with “Wiconi means life and life is everything that is surrounding like rocks: rocks turn into dirt, dirt turn into plants, plants make air and food for animal.” Al continued with “It’s the circle of life.” The subject on life, brought another point answer to my seventh question.
The seventh question talks about “can wiconi be counted as a virtue or value?” Al answered “Wiconi is value, because life is about virtues such as respect, generosity, humility and the others.” Wiconi as a value, also lets me ask my eighth question. The eighth question asks “What value does wiconi belong in?” Al answered with “Wiconi is its own value and virtue, without wiconi (Life) there is no values for a anybody or everybody to follow.” The ninth and tenth question ask “is wiconi a slogan and where is it used at?” Al answered with “Wiconi is used as a slogan at No DAPL (Dakota Access Pipeling) and it is used as Mni Wiconi: Water is life.” Al continued answering with “it is also used all tribes, used for a suicide intervention program called sweet grass and Anpetu Luta Tipi: which is a drug and alcohol rehab clinic.”
This interview with Al was interesting, his point on the word wiconi (life) makes my own definition seem less interesting. The word Wiconi can be a value and represent the other virtues, wiconi is also a slogan that was used at the protest in North Dakota back in 2016 to 2017. Wiconi is a Lakota word, and can be used in proper Lakota sentences. Wiconi means life and we must all know life is sacred.
Author Bio: Not the Best Blogger, but he can Blog well with others. A guy of not so many talents, Stephon Ross is that not so good at blogging, but he can blog with others.
Reference: Wounded Head, Aloysius (2018) Interview, Meaning of a Lakota Word