August 29, 2007

Lakota radio = "beacon of hope"

Radio Station Provides Vital Link for People on Indian ReservationThere are many ethnic radio stations and broadcast programs in the United States, but there is only one fully independent community radio station serving the residents of a Native American Indian reservation. That is KILI radio on the Pine Ridge reservation in southwestern South Dakota. It operates from the top of a butte near the village of Porcupine and broadcasts in both English and the native Lakota language.

KILI roughly translates to "cool" or "awesome" in English. The station provides news about activities and events on the reservation, as well as music--ranging from country to hip hop, with lots of native traditional singing as well.

Local college professors and students come in every week to discuss Lakota myths and stories. The station also does live broadcasts of tribal council meetings.

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