Maȟpíya Lúta is proud to celebrate Elyssa Sierra Her Many Horses, Lakȟóta Language Instructor, on being named a 2026 Bush Fellow.
Selected from a highly competitive pool of leaders across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and the 23 Native nations that share the same geography, Bush Fellows are recognized for their commitment to strengthening communities and creating meaningful change. The fellowship provides recipients with resources and support to further develop their leadership, learning, and vision for the future.
For Sierra, that vision centers on language.
A citizen of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe with Oglála, Ojibwa, and Taos Pueblo heritage, Sierra sees the restoration of Indigenous language as the foundation for strong education, identity, and community life. Her work at Maȟpíya Lúta has been instrumental in advancing Lakȟóta language revitalization efforts and expanding opportunities for students to learn through the language of their ancestors.
Sierra helped build the first elementary Lakȟóta immersion program at Maȟpíya Lúta Owáyawa, where instruction is delivered entirely in Lakȟótiyapi. In addition to teaching, she has created curriculum and educational materials for students from kindergarten through middle school, developing thousands of language resources that have been shared with educators across the region.
Her contributions extend beyond the classroom. Sierra has helped develop curriculum for adult language learners and supports the training of immersion educators, helping strengthen language revitalization efforts throughout Lakȟóta communities. Through her work with the first cohort of immersion students, she is already seeing the results of these efforts as young people grow up fluent in Lakȟótiyapi and grounded in Lakȟóta cultural knowledge.
Looking ahead, Sierra envisions a future where Lakȟótiyapi is once again spoken in homes, schools, workplaces, and community spaces as a living, thriving language. Through the Bush Fellowship, she plans to deepen her own language fluency, complete her Ph.D. in Indigenous language revitalization, and learn from successful Indigenous immersion models around the world.
Her work reflects Maȟpíya Lúta’s ongoing commitment to language revitalization and the belief that language is essential to identity, culture, and community well-being.
We congratulate Sierra on this remarkable achievement and look forward to the impact her leadership will continue to have on future generations of Lakȟóta language speakers.
