Dakota Wicohan

What Dakota Wicohan does

Dakota Wicohan is a Minnesota-based 501(c)(3) non-profit cultural resource center, founded in 2001 (incorporated 2002) and headquartered in Morton, MN, with an original founding site in Granite Falls. Its mission is to preserve Dakota as a living language and transmit Dakota lifeways, arts, and values to future generations. The organization serves the four federally-recognized Dakota communities of Minnesota — Prairie Island, Lower Sioux, Upper Sioux, and Shakopee — plus the non-federally-recognized Mendota community (approximately 4,000 Dakota people), and reaches Minnesota educators and the broader Minnesota public through outreach programming.

Dakota Wicohan’s core products are educational and cultural assets rather than a technology platform. The Mni Sótą Maḳoce curriculum is a 10-lesson 6th-grade social studies program aligned with Minnesota state standards, integrating video, audio, graphics, and written content, and was developed by a team of Dakota scholars and educators led by curriculum lead Iyekiyapiwi Darlene St. Clair (St. Cloud State University). The organization’s other major asset is the 54-minute documentary "Dakota Iapi Teunhindapi: We Cherish the Dakota Language" (completed 2013), based on 24 hours of video-recorded oral history interviews with Dakota elders gathered 2008-2012, accompanied by a 24-page companion handbook. Additional offerings include the Wicozani Instrument (a 9-item Indigenous health and wellbeing measure grounded in relationality and interconnectedness), Itancanpi leadership programs (Koska Boys, Wikoska & Wiciyena Girls, Sunktanka Wicahyuapi), and Dakota Wicohanpi lifeways programs covering art and gardening apprenticeships and cultural trainings. A second curriculum, Dakota Itancanpi Kte Unkihduwiyayapi, is in development and not yet publicly distributed.

Dakota Wicohan is funded by donations and grants rather than commercial sales. It accepts contributions via giveMN.org, PayPal, and mailed checks; revenue figures and audited financials are not publicly disclosed. Pricing for workshops and curriculum is not standardized — schools must attend a curriculum training to access Mni Sótą Maḳoce, and sliding-scale workshop fees are offered to communities without professional development funds. The organization operates with 11-50 staff, a community-led and event-driven go-to-market, and reported reach of 50 community leaders trained, 100+ members in lifeways programs, and 1,000+ Minnesotans reached annually.

Name

Dakota Wicohan

Legal name

Dakota Wicohan

Website

https://dakotawicohan.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dakota Wicohan is a Minnesota non-profit cultural resource center founded in 2001 that preserves the Dakota language and lifeways through curriculum, a documentary, leadership programs, and community workshops. It serves the four federally-recognized Dakota communities of Minnesota, schools, and the broader public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indigenous Language & Cultural Education Services

NAICS

Language Schools (61163)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Tribal Teacher Education & Indigenous Language Colleges (Educator Prep/Language Revitalization) (EDAHANAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Language Immersion Programs & Camps (Local/Seasonal) (EDAMAFAL)

Keywords

• Language revitalization
• Indigenous cultural education
• Community cultural programs
• Dakota heritage preservation
• Cultural lifeways training

Headquarters

HQ city

Morton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: As a Minnesota non-profit organization, Dakota Wicohan relies primarily on donations. They accept contributions via giveMN.org, PayPal, and checks mailed to their P.O. box in Morton, MN.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Dakota Wicohan is a Minnesota non-profit cultural resource center that preserves the Dakota language and transmits Dakota cultural lifeways, arts, and traditions to future generations. It delivers educational products (the Mni Sota Makoce curriculum, the Dakota Iapi Teunhindapi documentary and companion handbook) and community programs including youth leadership, art and gardening apprenticeships, and outreach workshops for Dakota communities and Minnesota schools.

Product overview

Dakota Wicohan is a non-profit cultural resource center offering educational products and community programs focused on Dakota language preservation and cultural revitalization. The organization provides the Dakota Iapi Teunhindapi documentary (a 55-minute film based on Dakota elder interviews) with a companion handbook, and the Mni Sóta Maḳoce 10-lesson curriculum for 6th grade social studies. Additional offerings include the Wicozani Instrument (a 9-item Indigenous health measure), leadership programs, lifeways programs (art and gardening apprenticeships), and outreach/education services including Tiwahe Family Dakota Iapi gatherings. These products and programs work together to fulfill the organization's mission of preserving Dakota as a living language and transmitting Dakota life ways to future generations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dakota Iapi Teunhindapi: We Cherish the Dakota Language Documentary A 54-55 minute documentary film telling the story of the Dakota language in Minnesota, based on interviews with Dakota elders and teachers, produced for community education and screening.
• Documentary Companion Handbook A four-color 24-page companion handbook to the Dakota Iapi Teunhindapi documentary, including additional history, story, and reflective questions to inspire dialogue for use by schools and community groups.
• Mni Sota Makoce: The Dakota Homelands Curriculum A 10-lesson curriculum for 6th graders that teaches Dakota relationship to Minnesota (Mni Sota Makoce), meeting Minnesota 6th grade social studies standards, integrating video, audio, graphics, and written content with downloadable PDFs for use by teachers who have completed training.
• Wicozani Instrument A 9-item health and wellbeing measure grounded in Indigenous paradigms, emphasizing relationality and interconnectedness of mental, physical, and spiritual health, accessible to youth and adults.
• Itancanpi Leadership Programs Youth and community leadership programs including Koska Boys Leadership, Wikoska and Wiciyena Girls Leadership, Sunktanka Wicahyuapi (They Care for Horses), and Community Leader Training, training 50 community leaders annually.
• Dakota Wicohanpi Lifeways Programs Cultural lifeways programs including Art (Tawokaga) Apprenticeships, Gardening (Wozupi) Apprenticeships, Arts Exhibits, and Cultural Lifeways Trainings, connecting over 100 community members annually to traditional Dakota practices.
• Waunspepi Outreach and Education Outreach and education programs including Tiwahe Family Dakota Iapi sessions, school presentations, documentary screenings, and teacher training, reaching over 1,000 Minnesotans annually.

Quantifiable outcome

• Trains 50 community leaders annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Minnesota CREATE InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Hosted a webinar in August 2019 with Iyekiyapiwiƞ Darlene St. Clair about the Mni Sota Makoce Curriculum and Training. Partnership for curriculum development and educational outreach.
• Minnesota Historical SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Supported oral history project between 2008-2012 that gathered 24 hours of video-recorded interviews with Dakota elders about life experiences, language use, and traditions. This project formed the foundation for the Dakota Iapi Teunhindapi documentary.
• Minnesota Reflections CollectionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigitally recorded written Dakota materials for inclusion in the Minnesota Reflections collection, preserving Dakota cultural documents.
• 4HminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Sunktanka Wicayuhapi (Horse Teachings) 4H Horse Program, which provides beginner horse riding for youth grades 4th-12th.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Direct peers

• The Language Conservancy: The Language Conservancy is a non-profit that develops Indigenous language learning materials and teacher training programs, including dictionaries, apps, and curricula. It is directly comparable to Dakota Wicohan's curriculum and teacher training work, with a similar community-led, language-revitalization mission.
• First Peoples' Cultural Council: FPCC is a non-profit supporting Indigenous language, arts, and cultural revitalization in California, including language nests, mentor-apprentice programs, and curriculum development. It mirrors Dakota Wicohan's blend of language preservation, youth leadership, and educational product development.
• Indigenous Language Institute: ILI supports Indigenous language revitalization nationally through grants, technical assistance, and convenings. It is comparable as a community-based, mission-aligned peer in the same Indigenous language preservation space as Dakota Wicohan.
• Waadookodaading Ojibwe Language Institute: Waadookodaading is an Ojibwe immersion school in Wisconsin operating as a non-profit cultural and educational resource center. It is a close parallel to Dakota Wicohan's community-led language revitalization model, working with a neighboring but distinct Indigenous community in the Upper Midwest.
• Lakota Language Consortium: The Lakota Language Consortium develops Lakota language learning materials, dictionaries, and curriculum for schools and communities. It is a direct peer in the Siouan-language family space, operating the same curriculum-and-teacher-training model for a closely related Indigenous language.
• Aha Pūnana Leo: Aha Pūnana Leo operates Hawaiian language immersion schools and teacher training programs, with a mission to revitalize Hawaiian as a living language. It is a benchmark peer for the language-nest and immersion-school approach that Dakota Wicohan's leadership programs embody.

Broad incumbents

• American Indian College Fund: The American Indian College Fund supports Indigenous higher education access and Tribal Colleges and Universities nationwide through scholarships and capacity building. It is comparable as a larger, broader Indigenous education non-profit, though its scope is post-secondary access rather than language revitalization.
• National Indian Education Association: NIEA is a national advocacy and membership organization advancing Indigenous education policy and culturally-based education. It overlaps with Dakota Wicohan's curriculum and teacher training work as a broader-incumbent Indigenous education organization.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/teresarpeterson
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dakota-wicohan

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dakota Wicohan