41. Lakota poet

Lydia Whirlwind Soldier, a poet who learned the beauty of the Lakota language from listening to tribal elders as a child, said she writes in both Lakota and English to keep the language alive. But she also writes essays in English to speak to the mainstream culture.

(…) “If you understand the Lakota language, it’s a poetic language,” she said. “I’ve always been amazed at the way they were able to tell stories. I loved to hear the old men get up and talk. Their speeches were beautiful.”