Sauk Language Department

Sauk pre-school language immersion pilot programDespite the loss of over 99 percent of their fluent speakers, the Sauk people have a long history of working to save their language—beginning in the early 1970s with community-based language classes, and culminating in 2005 with the founding of the Sauk Language Department in Stroud, Oklahoma.

The Sauk Language Department has made great strides in developing and piloting its pre-school language curriculum, and has mobilized widespread community participation in language materials production, educational gatherings such as weekly adult classes and community-wide “language bowl” competitions.  A draft community course curriculum, a sample home study packet, and a draft immersion game booklet have also been created.  Meetings and recording sessions with Sauk speakers for the purposes of curriculum development, and expansion of an audio database are ongoing.  Work on a teacher-training curriculum, a Sauk grammar workbook, and a Sauk pronunciation guide were also completed in the past year.  Current efforts are focused on funding an intensive Master/Apprentice program pairing the community's handful of fluent speakers with committed language learners.