Standing Rock educator named to UNESCO global task force

October 20, 2025

Tipiziwin Tolman, a Standing Rock Sioux Tribe member and descendant of the Spirit Lake Dakota, has been appointed to the UNESCO Ad-hoc Group 2: Indigenous Language Transmission and Resilience Building of the Global Task Force for the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, according to a news release.

Tolman, a doctoral candidate at Washington State University, focuses her research on Lakota and Dakota language pedagogy and literacy. “I’m honored to contribute to this global effort,” Tolman was quoted as saying. “Our languages carry the wisdom, laws, and lifeways of our people as learned from the land and water.” Audrey-Maude Perreault, Secretariat of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, said Tolman’s expertise and commitment will “enrich the collective efforts to safeguard, support, and promote Indigenous languages worldwide.”

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