Dakota Language Bowl

Dakota Language Quiz Bowl

Tuesday, March 18th, 2025

9:00am

Mystic Lake Casino, 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd NW, Prior Lake, MN 55372

Registration Cost: $200 per team

Please send payment to: 

Minnesota Indian Education Association(MIEA), PO Box 6786, Minneapolis, MN 55406

Fees and Registration need to be submitted by Friday March 14th, 2025!

To register your team(s) and for more information contact: ethan@minnesotaindianeducation.org

Oyáte Iápi Akíčhiyapi Wówapiska – Oyate Language Bowl Study Guide

Introduction This guide serves as a comprehensive framework for participants in the Oyate Language Bowl, emphasizing the use of the Dakhóta language. Teams will engage in a series of rounds designed to test and showcase their knowledge and creativity in constructing sentences in Dakhóta, with a focus on cultural and linguistic authenticity.

Part One: Round One – Creative Sentence Construction

  • Objective: Teams will construct original questions or statements in Dakhóta.
  • Rules:
    • Sentences must exceed one word, avoiding single-word responses.
    • Teams alternate turns, presenting their sentences aloud.
    • Repetition of previously stated sentences by other teams is not allowed.
  • Examples Provided: A list of example sentences is offered to guide participants in forming their own unique sentences. Examples include basic introductions, expressing likes/dislikes, and daily activities.

Part Two: Round Two – Prompt-Based Sentence Creation

  • Objective: Using provided prompts, teams will create contextually relevant questions or statements.
  • Prompts: A series of Dakhóta words indicating various questioning contexts (e.g., “Táku” for “what”, “Tuktéd” for “where”).
  • Rules:
    • Constructed sentences must be more than one word.
    • Teams take turns, ensuring no repetition of previously given answers.
  • Examples Provided: Participants are encouraged to use the prompts creatively, forming sentences that might include inquiries about surroundings, personal preferences, or future plans.

Part Three: Round Three – Advanced Prompt Utilization

  • Objective: Teams will again use prompts to generate complex sentences, potentially involving temporal or conditional constructs.
  • Prompts: Focus on temporal and situational contexts (e.g., “ȟtánihaŋ” for “yesterday”, “wétu” for “spring”).
  • Rules: Similar to Round Two, with an emphasis on crafting more complex sentence structures.
  • Examples Provided: Suggested sentences include expressions of actions in time, descriptions of the environment, and personal experiences.

Part Four: Final Round – Strategic Question and Statement Formation

  • Objective: Teams will select from final question prompts to construct a high-stakes question or statement, wagering points based on confidence in their answer.
  • Prompts: Focus on conjunctions and transitional phrases (e.g., “čha” for “and so”, “eštá” for “even though”).
  • Bidding: Teams bid points from their total score, adding a strategic element to the final round.
  • Rules:
    • Points can only be bid from scores earned in the final round.
    • The highest-scoring team wins, with subsequent places determined by points.
    • Ties are broken by additional rounds of question/statement formation.
  • Examples Provided: Illustrate the use of prompts in constructing complex, culturally rich sentences.