The Oglala Sioux Tribe, also known as Lakota Indians, is the largest division of the Teton Sioux. They fought over land with powerful chiefs like Crazy Horse and Red Cloud. Today, the tribe has a council and commemorates their traditions and ancestors through events like pow-wows and a Crazy Horse Memorial Ride. The tribe’s flag depicts nine white teepees arranged in a circular formation against a red background, representing political districts within the tribe.
The Oglala Sioux Tribe is the largest division of the Teton Sioux. Oglala Native Americans are also known as Lakota Indians, which means “friend” or “ally” in their dialect. Powerful Oglala chiefs, including Crazy Horse, fought over land in the United States. The Sioux Tribe has a tribal council and today commemorates their traditions and ancestors.
Oglala means “to scatter one’s own” in the language of the Native American tribe. They lived in areas delineated as the Dakota and Minnesota Territories in the mid-19th century. Explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark encountered the Oglala Sioux Indians living along the Missouri River in 1990. At the time, they collaborated with the Cheyenne tribe and settlers in the area. Clashes between the native tribes and the U.S. government did break out, however, peaking in the late 19th century.
Red Cloud was one of the best known chiefs of the Lakota tribe. He led the assaults that preceded the Great Sioux War. After parts of the Lakota tribes were expelled from Minnesota Territory, the Lakota Indians attacked several American forts in the area. As a result, the US government and the Lakota tribe signed the Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868, ceding the land to the Native American tribe. Red Cloud died in 1909 and his burial site is currently adjacent to the Read Cloud Indian School located near the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Crazy Horse was another prominent figure of the Oglala Sioux tribe and a famous American Indian leader. He fought under the leadership of Red Cloud against the Americans in Wyoming in the late 1860s. After the United States War Department ordered all Lakota Indians to transfer to reservations, Crazy Horse fought against General George Crook, who was advancing on Little Bighorn. Though he put up fierce resistance to several generals, Crazy Horse surrendered on May 6, 1877. The Oglala Sioux chief was killed in a fight with American soldiers when they attempted to arrest him.
The Oglala Lakota Tribal Council and tribal members discuss political and indigenous issues in nine districts. They sponsor several events, including pow-wows and a Crazy Horse Memorial Ride. The Oglala Reservation, which is the second largest reservation in the United States, is located in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Approximately 120,000 acres (48,562 hectares) of the reservation is located in the Badlands. The preserve is home to the Red Cloud Heritage Center, the site of the Wounded Knee massacre, and the Prairie Wind Casino.
The Oglala Sioux Tribe has an official tribal flag, which was approved by Tribal Council in 1961 and adopted on March 9, 1962. The Oglala Tribe’s flag depicts nine white teepees arranged in a circular formation against a red background. The nine teepees represent political districts within the Oglala tribe, including Wakpamni District, Medicine Root District, and Wounded Knee District. The flag also has a blue border, signifying Oglala loyalty to the United States of America.
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