Good day to one and all,
I have a simple question for anyone who speaks Dakota or Lakota, or
knows someone who does.
I've been on the list for about a month now and see people ending
their messages with "Mitakuye Oyasin".
Gary corrected my faux pas when he explained that it was Lakota for
"We are all related".
It is my understanding that:
"We are all related" translates to
"De ya umpi yahupi mitakuyapi"
and that "Mitakuye Oyasin" translates to
"you, my close relation, are well"
the first one is plural which I believe is what is meant by everyone
in that we all are interconnected as people, (please corrct me if that
is wrong), the second is a greeting used when talking to someone. Can
someone please help me with this, I've been getting headaches from
this puzzle.
Incidently, This may help for someone to explain the confusion to me.
My great-grandfather spoke Lakota, and my great-grandmother spoke
Dakota. There was also a lot of interaction between them and the
Assiniboine. My father's language could be an integration of the two
dialects, and Assiniboine, but he says it is Dakota. Maybe Lakota has
completely changed over the last 60 years? Does someone know? I'm
not fluent but can understand a lot of what is said.
Hope someone can help me.
Sincerely,
Alexander White-Tail Feather