The Lakota Nation is a Native American tribe and one of three groups that make up the Great Sioux Nation. They have their own government and constitution, and most subgroups and reservations follow a similar tribal council structure. However, life on the reservation can be a struggle due to extreme poverty, high unemployment rates, and illnesses. Many Native American groups, including the Lakota, are dissatisfied with the relationship with the US government and have worked to restore their tribe’s independence.
The Lakota Nation is a Native American tribe and one of three groups that make up the Great Sioux Nation. The Sioux Nation of American Indians spans a large area of the western and midwestern United States and includes portions of South and North Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, and Kansas. Linguistic and geographical differences separate the three tribes that make up the Sioux Nation: the Lakota, the Nakota and the Dakota. The Lakota Nation is further divided into seven subgroups, including the Sicangu, Oglala, Hunkpapa, and others.
Treaties between the US government and the Lakota nation recognize their legal position as a semi-autonomous group of people. They have their own government and constitution, and most subgroups and reservations follow a similar tribal council structure. In most cases, the chairman or reserve chairman is elected by voters and works collaboratively with other elected council officials. Government and community assistance is also available to the Lakota Nation through the United States Office of Indian Affairs.
The treaties that Native American tribes enter into with the United States government often exempt the reservation from the obligation of state and local laws. This provides them with the freedom to run their own affairs and the ability to manage facilities that host Indian games. Many of the Lakota subgroups, including the Hunkpapa and Oglala, own and operate casinos on their reservations.
Life on the Lakota Nation Reservation can be a struggle. The Lakota, as well as other Sioux tribes, suffer extreme poverty and extraordinarily high unemployment rates. The living conditions on the booking are marked as poor and potentially dangerous. Life expectancy on the reservation is much lower than in the surrounding United States, and tragic circumstances such as infant mortality and teen suicide occur at a higher rate. Illnesses such as alcoholism, heart disease, and diabetes affect many Lakota families.
Many Native American groups are dissatisfied with the relationship that has existed between the tribe and the US government, and the Sioux are no exception. The Lakota Freedom Delegation has worked for years to restore their tribe’s independence. This group of activists moved forward without the support of elected tribal officials in 2007, when they met in Washington DC and declared the Lakota’s intention to officially renounce all treaties between the Lakota and the United States of America.
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