As in most places, healthcare workers on the Standing Rock Sioux reservation are the first in line to get the COVID-19 vaccine. But the tribe has decided that the next batch will go to those who speak the native Dakota and Lakota languages to keep them—and the customs—alive. Tribal Chairman Mike Faith told KXnet.com that only about 300 of the 8,000 members at Fort Yates—which straddles the North and South Dakota border—are fluent. “They are the most important asset to our tribe and people because of the language,” Tribal Health Director Margaret Gates said.
