The best way to prepare children for their future is to keep them grounded in their native identity. Here at Zintkala Luta, we take pride in our Native American culture and we strive to preserve its historical greatness.

Zintkala Luta is a non-profit organization in Minneapolis, Minnesota that aims to revitalize our endangered culture and languages. We are on a mission to cultivate, nourish, and grow our culture through teachings that kept our forefathers strong, healthy, and wise.

The name Zintkala Luta means Red Bird in the Dakota language. The eagle in our logo is a juvenile bird representing our aim of keeping the young closely rooted in their identity. Our logo carries with it our traditional Dakota beliefs and it is embedded in the heart of our organization. The Lakota belief that we pray as we sing is represented in our logo. We come together as an educational organization to provide programs and curriculum that is focused in the Native language and culture available to schools and everyone.

We at Zintkala Luta, reach out to families, children, and the community through an educational approach that emphasizes holistic healthy native families. We provide access to bilingual education by teaching L/Dakota and Ojibwe language in K-12 and threaded throughout our programs also provide free access to organic produce and health management through our community garden service.

The programs and curriculum that we design are authenticated through elders who are keepers of our sacred ways. We go back to the original ways of staying healthy, strong, and wise by creating a relationship with our “tiospaye” (in Dakota means “a group of tipis or homes”). Understanding the Native American family brings heart of the people closer to our goals. This is our mission, to preserve our rich culture to be passed on to the next generation.

Join us in our unique endeavor here at Zintkala Luta!