P.O. Box 43, 716 N. Lincoln Street, Eagle Butte, SD 57625
+1 605-223-0643

About Us

COVID-19 Notice

Due to the difficulties caused by COVID-19, the LOWI School will not be operating during the 2020-2021 school year. It is our hope that an immersion program will be available for the community in the near future.

 

Lakȟótiyapi Okáȟtaŋ Wičhóičhaǧe Inc. (LOWI), meaning “Immersed in the language” in Lakota, grew from a community desire for a Lakota language immersion school at Cheyenne River. In 2014, members of the Cheyenne River Chapter of the Lakota Language Teacher Association, distressed by the obstacles in producing fluent Lakota children, banded together to create a Lakota immersion school on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation (the only Lakota reservation that lacked one). These educators and concerned community members incorporated LOWI School in 2015 as an independent community-driven 501 (c)(3) charitable organization. Since then, we have been able to secure the funding and the space needed to begin providing an elementary Lakota immersion program.

We see our role as a more than just a place for children to learn Lakota. We are a community-driven cultural space meant to preserve our cultural memory and ensure that it is passed on to our youth. LOWI provides a place for our youth to learn our native traditions, culture, and language. We invite parents and community members to participate in our programs and meetings.