A Dakota-English Dictionary

Alternate Language Names

Dakota: Dakhota, Dakhótiyapi, Dakȟótiyapi, Dakotah.

Lakota: Lakȟótiyapi, Lakhota, Lakhóta, Teton, Teton Sioux.

Region

Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario, Canada; Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Minnesota, and Iowa, United States.

Who

Stephen Return Riggs.

Others Involved

Samuel Pond, Gideon Pond, Thomas S. Williamson, Robert Hopkins (Missionary Consultants); Mary Riggs, Alfred L. Riggs, T. L. Riggs (Manuscript Assistance); William W. Turner, William H. Smith (Revision Assistance); W. J. Cleveland, J. P. Williamson (Dialect Assistance); J. Owen Dorsey (Manuscript Editing); J. W. Powell (Note by the Director); Unnamed speakers.

Publishing Information

Published 1892 by the Government Printing Office. The first iteration of this dictionary was first published in 1852 by the Smithsonian Institution as part of a grammar and dictionary of the Dakota Language. A more complete version was published in 1890 by the Government Printing Office with the 1892 version published shortly after. The dictionary was later re-published in 1992 by Minnesota Historical Society Press.

How People are Cited

People are cited in the Note by the Director and the Letter of Transmittal.

How Information is Cited

Consultants and assistants are cited in the Note by the Director and the Letter of Transmittal. Speakers are not cited by name anywhere.

Where is Information Coming from

It appears that most of the information in this dictionary was collected by the author during the mid-1800s while he lived amongst the Dakota people. Speakers are not cited, however, it can be assumed that most of this information came from speakers who worked with the author. Considerable information came from fellow missionaries, including information from Lakota and other dialects of Dakota. When the author’s health began to fail, his children took on the remainder of the work required to build up the lexicon.

Tools and Framework used

This dictionary is available as a physical and digital book.

Access

The physical book is accessible through libraries. It appears to have been available for purchase at one point from the Minnesota Historical Society Press website for $34.95 USD. However, as of mid-2025, the website is only available through the Internet Archive, a website which records past renditions of websites, and, therefore, the dictionary is no longer available for purchase. The digital version of the original 1890 version is accessible through libraries and is open access on the Log College Press library as a scanned PDF.

Included Languages and Directionality

Dakota to English; Dakota to Lakota (Appendix).

Dialects Included

This dictionary mainly includes information from the Santee dialect, but contains information from the Yankton dialect as well.

Type of Dictionary

This is a bilingual, mono-directional dictionary.

How are Entries Organised

Entries are listed alphabetically by Dakota, according to the alphabet listed on the two pages preceding the dictionary section, which also includes information regarding the Dakota sound system. Entries include the Dakota headword, the part of speech, the affix and stem breakdown (where applicable), and the English gloss. Some entries also contain related terms. Entries offered by contributors other than the primary author are noted by contributor initials.

After the dictionary there is a brief appendix that includes information from Lakota (here referred to as Titoŋwaŋ) gathered by W. J. Cleveland. This list appears to be listed Dakota to Lakota. Some entries contain English linguistic description, but very few offer an English gloss of the Siouan terms.

Other Features

Other Notes

While this is an outdated resource in many ways, it seems to continue to be a valuable resource for the Santee dialect. We are unable to access the 1992 re-print to see how or if it differs at all from the 1892 publication.