Mercedes Redman

Producer

Mercedes Redman is a Dakota Sioux woman from Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation on Treaty 4 Territory. Her spirit name is Isan Haskan Win, meaning Long Knife Woman.

Mercedes speaks English and is learning Dakota. She remembers hearing Dakota in ceremony, in prayer, when she was growing up. At the University of Regina, Mercedes took two Dakota language classes and since then, has been reading Dakota dictionaries and engaging in online groups to learn the different dialects.

She’s excited about the pîkiskwêwan project because “it’s given me the opportunity to learn from my family and to speak and learn with each other,” she said. She sees her podcast as an opportunity for her Kunshi to share her teachings and experiences, and to have the freedom to choose the topics they discuss.

She hopes “people feel happy and empowered when they listen to the podcast. I want them to feel like learning your language isn’t impossible,” she said. For other new language learners, she advises them to use the resources available –the people in your community, online resources, groups and forums.