Episode 2 of our series explores who we were as part of the Pte Oyate, or Buffalo Nation, before contact with non-indigenous people. It starts with a segment that highlights our close relationship with Unci Maka, or Grandmother Earth, from which came much of what we knew and how we lived as a people. The next section looks at the role of the Lakota language not only as a means of communication but as an important tool for the transmission of values and even identity.

The next, longer part investigates many facets of Lakota society which allowed us and the rest of the Oceti Sakowin to survive and flourish for so long upon the plains of Keya Wita, or Turtle Island. Included here is discussion of our 7 spiritual laws, the importance of the oral tradition, societal roles and responsibilities, and even conflict resolution strategies.

The episode ends with the teachings of two respected elders who discuss, respectively, the 4 Stages of Life and the 7 original healers of the Pte Oyate.