about the project

Hau otakuye. Hello relatives.

We welcome you to the HEART OF ALL Oral History Project, a 7-part audio series that attempts to piece together the long and complicated story of our Lakota oyate, or nation, through the voices of local elders and community members from what is now widely known as the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. We see this project as an opportunity to finally tell our own story, to set the record straight, and to be reminded, by our own relatives, where we came from and who we really are. Along the way, we will of course make mention of the rest of the Oceti Sakowin, or Seven Council Fires, as our relatives’ lives are intertwined so closely with our own.

The project was guided by nearly 50 students of Taopi Cikala Owayawa, or Little Wound School, in Kyle, South Dakota, who worked diligently between January of 2020 and May of 2022 to help bring this substantial effort to fruition. Upon the urging of respected community elders, we began our interviews with the goal of preserving important information that could be shared with future generations of Lakota youth. As we started compiling the stories - and getting a sense of the bigger picture untold in most history books - we realized just how crucial this endeavor was for our oyate, for our relatives away from home, for any Lakota that might not have the blessing of an elder’s teaching.  

The audio series is meant to replicate our oral tradition, where stories and the knowledge they contain were handed down from generation to generation through the spoken word. Our classroom was our tiwahes - our families - and our tiospayes - our communities. As we learned, however, boarding schools and the enforcement of the 1883 Code of Indian Offenses dramatically disrupted this important process. In this project, we hope to highlight the greatness of this tradition - how hearing stories from individuals who actually lived through events or firsthand accounts passed on by one’s ancestors are somehow more significant than any history book could possibly be.       

Lastly, we want to give our great thanks to all of the individuals who shared their invaluable stories and made our work possible. We ask that all listeners approach this project with a similar sense of gratitude and respect, for having the chance to hear these things that are not just stories, but important parts of people’s lives and legacies. 

With that said, no part of this work may be used for any purpose without the express written consent of Little Wound School. While we cannot say we own the information contained here - any more than one can own Unci Maka, or Grandmother Earth - we do hold the copyright to it. We hope you enjoy these stories from the Oyate.

Hecetu welo.