This paper examines the relevant literature on American Indian dialectal variations of English and efforts to maintain American Indian languages through bilingual education programs. The preservation of the ancestral Lakota dialect of the Siouan language is discussed in terms of the implications for educational program planning. It is concluded that many existing programs classified as bilingual are really transition programs providing only a brief daily exposure to the native language. In addition, the English spoken on the reservations is frequently a nonstandard variety that has been analyzed and validated as an old and continuing dialectal form. It is suggested that in light of this information, instruction in Standard English as a Second Dialect combined with native history and culture courses might become the program of first choice for many schools. (MSE)