But when she responded to her in Lakota, the interaction quickly became one of mutual respect. Emily recalled a time she was approached by a Lakota woman at a waД‡hГpi who thought she was dismissing her children's heritage. Only about 2,000 people in the world speak the Lakota language fluently. 'In the Lakota language, and the way a Lakota person formats their thoughts, it gives a very deep soulful meaning to the world around them.' 'In our classes, we joke about thinking in Lakota,' said Emily. They also all attend Lakota language classes and immersive retreats. The oldest four children, two of whom are related to Crazy Horse - who in the 1800s fought to preserve the Lakota way of life - have been featured waД‡hГpi dancers at the Crazy Horse Memorial Monument.

They took her to waД‡hГpis, or powwows, to remain connected to the culture. They began learning the language with the placement of their first daughter. 'Keeping that culture alive is very important to us, and keeping that heritage alive in my children is as well.' 'With all of my children being adopted from the Cheyenne River Lakota tribe, they have a cultured history of their own that we have integrated into our family,' said Mike. In 2013, they began caring for three Lakota sisters from 8 months to 3 years old and adopted them.Д«ut as the Becks brought the children into their home, they wanted to ensure they would not lose their rich culture. In 2008, they began caring for three Lakota siblings, ranging from 3 to 5 years old, whom they adopted three years later. They adopted their first daughter in 2004 from the niece of a close family friend. Throughout the years, they have cared for 26 children in their home through Christian foster programs and with the Cheyenne River Lakota adoption agency. 'But we view adoption as not just bringing a child into your family, but the joining of two families.' 'We chose adoption very early on because we knew there were a lot of kids who didn't have permanency, and we thought it was better to adopt those kids and give them a family, rather than just bring our own kids into the world,' said Beck. They are now adoptive parents to seven American Indian children from the Lakota Tribe through three separate adoptions beginning in 2004. 1st Class Mike Beck, a member of the South Dakota Army National Guard since 2001, and his wife, Emily, a cultural resources program manager with the SDARNG, who met in 8th grade, always wanted to build their family through adoption. High school sweethearts Mike and Emily Beck may not have known the words yet, but they had already embraced the concept. вЂ“ In the Lakota language, the phrase mitГЎkuye oyГЎsКјiЕ‹ means we are all related.

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