Malakota - jeg er Lakota

For nearly a hundred years - from 1883 to 1978 - the North American Indians were deprived of the right to teach in their own language, pursue their own culture, or perform their own rituals and ceremonies. One such tribe was the Lakota Indians of South Dakota, one of the poorest of all. Today the Lakota elders are trying to extend knowledge of their traditional spiritualism and philosophy: local schools teach children Lakota, and a number of community schemes have been launched to ensure that native arts and crafts are passed on to future generations. For a time the tribe seemed doomed, but now it looks as if its members will continue to be able to say 'Malakota - I am Lakota!'