PIERRE — An official state indigenous language would recognize the importance of Native American culture in South Dakota, tribal members told a Senate committee.

Tribal members, some giving their testimony in their indigenous language, spent nearly an hour telling the Senate State Affairs Committee on Friday that the state's recognition of their language would strengthen their culture and heritage.

Nakina Mills, an Oglala Sioux tribal councilwoman, began crying when she described how her great-grandparents were forced to not speak their language and were punished if they spoke it. As a result, her grandparents and parents didn't learn the language, and she knows very little of it. Her young son, who hugged her as she spoke, is now learning their language in Red Cloud Indian School's Lakota immersion program.

"It took over 100 years, four generations, for my son to be able to have the Lakota language be a part of his life," she said.

The Senate committee unanimously passed Senate Bill 126 that would recognize the language of the Oceti Sakowin, of which Dakota, Lakota and Nakota are dialects, as the official indigenous language of South Dakota. The bill now heads to the Senate floor for a vote. If passed, English would remain South Dakota's common language used on public documents.

If signed into law, South Dakota will become the first state in the contiguous United States to have an official indigenous language; Hawaii and Alaska have recognized official state indigenous languages.

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Faith Spotted Eagle, a member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe, said her testimony in Lakota before saying it in English to give committee members an idea of what she experienced when the teacher spoke to her in English when she began school at 5 years old. Her teacher realized she didn't understand English and began learning Lakota.

"The important thing is to support (the bill) and understand that you come from a land that is called Dakota, and Dakota means 'the people,'" Spotted Eagle said. "It's been a long time coming. For me, in my 70th year, it is going to make me happy because it's going to open some doors for the little ones sitting out there and across South Dakota."

Bryan Charging Cloud, a 78-year-old member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, said he's happy and proud that his grandson will carry on his Lakota language. After the committee passed the bill, he shook the hands of the committee members and told the Argus Leader that he was happy with the committee's decision.

"It will make our language more stronger because right now our children are not talking in Lakota," he said.

Sen. Troy Heinert, D-Mission, who has called the bill "one of the biggest bills I've brought in my 10 years" in the Legislature, became emotional describing what it meant to him to see a young man testify in their language in front of the committee, when not that long ago, their language wasn't allowed to be spoken.

"We have a chance to right some wrongs," Heinert told the committee.