School on South Dakota reservation that was founded in 1888 renamed in Lakota language

PINE RIDGE RESERVATION, S.D. (AP) — A parochial school on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota has been around for 135 years is being renamed in the Lakota language.

Red Cloud Indian School will be renamed Maȟpíya Lúta –- a translation of Chief Red Cloud’s name, South Dakota Public Broadcasting reported Tuesday. The school was founded by Jesuits in 1888. It now has about 600 students.

Jennifer Irving, vice president of communications and marketing, said the idea for the name change came from the school’s athletes, who wanted the Lakota language name on their team jerseys.

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“It inspired the rest of us to catch up with our young leadership here,” Irving said. “That’s really where that change happened.”

Irving said the name change is about more than rebranding and “really about honoring Chief Red Cloud and really committing further to Lakota language revitalization.”

The process of changing the name has begun and will continue through the 2023-24 school year.