By Doreen Yellow Bird, FBCE Board Member

Photo by Logan J.Davis

Tony Lonefight, Director and Shaundeen Smith, Curriculum Specialist for Culture & Langauge Department displayed a recently published coloring book for children age 3 to 10 years old. The book in one of several projects they are working on in the program.

The booklet uses nu’e`taa (Mandan); hiraaca’ (Hidatsa) sah’nish (Arikara) to identify animals or birds that live on the Ft Berthold Reservation giving the student ways of seeing animal in a picture, listening to the word and identifying it when they come across it on the reservation.

Other materials, including the coloring book, written and/or audio material are available. Contact Smith at [email protected] to receive materials through the mail.

There are also youtube pages and Zoom classes available for any who want to learn our tribal languages.

In support of language restoration, the tribe is using the language in many other ways such as naming buildings and streets with the Mandan, Hidatsa or Sahnish words.

Photo by Logan J.Davis