As Pandemic Rips Through Indian Country, Indigenous Communities Work to Save Elders & Languages

We look at the fight to save tribal elders and Native language speakers as the pandemic rips through Indian Country, with Indigenous communities facing woefully inadequate healthcare, lack of governmental support, and the living legacy of centuries of colonialism. Native Americans have died from COVID-19 at twice the rate of white people across the U.S. To combat this crisis, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has prioritized elders who speak the Dakota and Lakota languages to receive vaccines. “Knowing that there were a lot of elders who were at really, really high risk, this was a concern from the very beginning,” says Jodi Archambault, a citizen of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the former special assistant to President Barack Obama on Native American affairs. The parents of Nola Taken Alive, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council, both recently died of COVID-19. “My parents were very humble people,” she says. “They played a very important role, not only in my siblings’ and our family’s lives, but also to the entire community of Standing Rock.” We also speak with Alex White Plume, a former vice president and president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe of the Pine Ridge Reservation who is a Lakota interpreter.
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[@jeremiahjoseph3973]

Only Democracy Now covers such stories.. Thank You! This one again hits home. I Love You!

[@jeremiahjoseph3973]

@@mariebakata2685 for sure.. for all our people.

[@sandralee9827]

As a native Maori New Zealander we know that repression of our languages always goes hand in hand with the taking of our lands during colonisation. May your ancestors and mine keep your people and precious culture safe from covid 19

[@nakuduaftar2624]

Teach sista im black jamaican

[@0649Hayes]

I have some Maori friends here in the US. I am Choctaw and my guy is Apache. Our daughter's name is Hawoonaki and has a long story behind it. It means 'Two Doves'. My guy speaks Apache fluently and I have and do collect many of our language archives in Choctaw. We have a school in Oklahoma. He and I have been learning Choctaw together and my children and grand children want to learn also.

[@aprilk141]

Thank you for your voice, may you live long and well.

[@nativeatheist6422]

I wish we had haka 😁

[@morthanalittle]

Yet another genuine tragedy. Breaks my heart. 💔

[@EarthVoiceOnline]

Thank you Democracy Now for highlighting Native voices.

[@quinndawsonosgood5261]

Such tragedy and hope. Peace, strength and many blessings

[@icanpreptoo6673]

Protect our language and knowledge keepers

[@sylviewalker7560]

New Mexico Senator Deb Haaland: ""indian country forever!" Respect.

[@rumorhasit9506]

Thank you for your in depth and consistent coverage of the original people of this country.

[@lenini056]

STOP CALLING US INDIANS SINCE WE'RE NOT FROM INDIA!!!

[@smileyface702]

Some Native people/communities prefer that self-descriptor so it's impossible to please everyone

[@voidremoved]

What don't you sue google for then? I checked google map and it said there is "indian" reservations what are those? Immigrants from India lives there?

[@lenini056]

@@smileyface702 But we don't speak Hindi, nor worship a ton of deities while seeing cows as "something sacred"!

[@silkyrobinson5079]

They're rights to pray, and speak their own language were taken away.... How cruel and shameful... Let's make sure it Never happens again. Blessings and Love to these people, and the Taken Alive Family. My heart, Soul, Spirit, and mind are with you🙏💗🌈

[@mattryan6886]

This is incredibly sad, the cost of this virus keeps growing. Losing tribal elders with great knowledge of the past, oral traditions, language are huge loses that can not be brought back. My heart hurts for them. Hopefully with more vaccinations things can improve.

[@emhu2594]

These are Native Americans, not "Indians." Indians live in India.

[@nakuduaftar2624]

Damn right brother

[@MRender32]

I’ve heard American Indians refer to themselves as such, and don’t want to be affiliated with the United States. Funny, in Russian this conflict doesn’t exist because, since India is named after the Indus River, their people are just called Indus people. In English, the words happened to clash. Maybe indigenous people? Maybe “those of pre-Colombian origins”? If you wanna be completely correct, call them Navajo, Iroquois, Sioux, Lenni-Lenape.

[@mikemann1960]

@@MRender32 It's deeper than that, but you are on the right track. Check Dr. Spencer Wells for more indepth independent science information please.

[@kwahujakquai6726]

@@MRender32 Indigenous people is probably a more accurate label. But what is most important here, is that many cultures are going extinct, and many are turning a blind eye to this fact.

[@luisromovaldespino1598]

Terribly beautiful, when everything collapses you will inherit the Earth.

[@axisgalaxis]

Heartbreaking...we owe everything to that generation ...we are all losing our elders n stories...we can do better for those we owe ALL

[@voidremoved]

should be recorded story telling even if i have to hear the story on youtube

[@camilom2752]

Sad. I enjoyed his story of how he sang to her.

[@KCSaxe]

Native. American.

[@iqbalsohel9166]

always feel bad for them how they lost their land to the Europeans for ever.. :(

[@nakuduaftar2624]

They. Try. To south africa Zimbabwe kenya Mozambic Angela

[@davidfrancuzzo5990]

It's great that DN covers so many important topics other news outlets ignore. But Amy, please don''t cut off people you've asked to contribute with a corporate countdown clock just so you can fit it all into pre-fab soundbite templates--ESPECIALLY if you're going to interrupt by surprising them with videos of their recently passed loved ones speaking. Please write to the President about these environmental issues and FREE LEONARD PELTIER!

[@iamme2399]

The neighboring towns that surround the reservation, are not wearing masks at all. It is very frustrating, and disrespectful. These towns know how their actions can affect the residents on the reservation, but yet South Dakota continues with not implementing mask wearing statewide.

[@tombstone8949]

No national covid lockdown plans or $ help country a joke! Canada 500$ a week ?

[@colonelangus8247]

Are you really asking for habeus corpus to be suspended?

[@nakuduaftar2624]

450 $

[@aprilk141]

@@colonelangus8247 my right to swing my arm ends at your nose. With a basic understanding of fluid dynamics and viral transmission, the only solution is a lockdown. It can be done better or worse. If the government gave you 2,000 bucks a month to stay home and distributed food, digs, beer, and made sure folks were feeling alright, a lockdown wouldn't be so bad. Unfortunately they aren't going to be so cool about it. We gotta do it on our own for one another. I don't want the guilt of giving the bug to others, and I trust that my neighbors don't want to give it to me. Unfortunately that also seems to be a long shot. Wake up Colonel, we are all we have.

[@colonelangus8247]

@@aprilk141 where's the government coming up with all that stuff if everyone is incarcerated? What you are demanding is a holodomore and I refuse to participate.

[@darylkirkvid]

This was a problem way before the pandemic. Why am I forced to thank a pandemic for finally bringing this forward? This is not just a tribal issue, national morale depends on the survival and thriving of these languages. This is not a solo tragic story, it is a new series...

[@smileyface702]

I love Alex White Plume's story about how he asked his wife to Mary him.

[@ozstyl]

Absolutely DEVASTATING and act of GENOCIDE

[@delmariecrandall9229]

Education is the way to preserve the culture and promote strength and identity. I support the preservation of all languages of First Nations people. I also support the preservation of first language for anyone who takes English as a second language. How else can younger people talk to elders who speak mostly in their first languages?

[@SuperToughnut]

I think a young person wrote the title of this video. Indians? They meant Native Americans.

[@michelle-jn7ul]

It's not Indian Country, it's Native American Nations. You should know better Amy

[@Spoeism]

When did Humanity map the human genome?

[@WealthyThomas]

Why not just teach the language to every born?

[@ZelbeQahi]

The narrative bridging Asia and indigenous Americans discounts the ancient seafarers between continents and the massive commerce and ancient cities of this continent before 1492.

[@hannalectern4015]

Me thinks me smells a mole below. The ignorant come and tell us our language need critique. Never bothered with, or past e.s.l. **false propaganda below** Foreign enemy preying on the saplings.

[@enda615]

Unfortunate

[@spanky7277]

Another Genocide ?

[@gregmarsh1549]

Amy, Who the hell gives you permission to butt in to your important guests statements, after falsley proclaiming your respect for Native Americans???

[@DGhoshStudyStudio]

Head line gave me shock for 2 seconds. Americans need to increase their knowledge first. Huuu

[@divinebynature7056]

Do you know the history regarding Christopher Colombus and his so called discovery of the New World? Look it up.

[@bobby7844]

What do you mean by Indian? Seems like you may mean American Indian. A little arrogant to sum that up as Indian. And most importantly, difficult to understand. I clicked on this thinking the country called India.

[@olivialouise8038]

you got 5 seconds

[@jeffbriggs7120]

Thanks China

[@olivialouise8038]

you got 2 seconds

[@robroy7456]

Gee Amy...It,only,took you 10 1/2 months to get around to this. When you say Democracy Now..I thought you at least mean now for Americans. Instead voiceless native communities take a back seat to economic opportunist who aren’t indigenous to North America.

[@supercool1238]

Plandemic

[@robertbrawley5048]

Indian country is s long way away. I dont see anyone that has Covid 19 . I head of one friend's friend that has a friend that has it but is a home w/ a headache. So am I going to believe my lieing eyes or what

[@robertbrawley5048]

So 400,000 dead is not a big deal apparently. We as a nation can take a million lost lives and with no sweat

[@darriusdessalean6987]

These individuals who call themselves Native American which is a lie These people are from Asia

[@quinndawsonosgood5261]

Shhhh child

[@darriusdessalean6987]

@@quinndawsonosgood5261 These are facts 5 dollar Indians These are not the original people this land so you shut up clown.

[@quinndawsonosgood5261]

@@darriusdessalean6987 shhhh child....hush

[@Azamat421]

@@darriusdessalean6987 neither are africans there from africa

[@darriusdessalean6987]

@@Azamat421 Not everyone that has A brown Hue comes from Africa jackass In fact So called black people have been here on Turtle Island before it was charged by the European to America Look I don't have time to get you any history lesson Beside what have the so called native American done for this country nothing Didn't help build anything so stop The aboriginal were so called black people been here way longer 12,000 years these are facts 5 dollar Indians