The Sioux Nation consists of three groups: Lakota, Nakota, and Dakota, each with their own language and living on their own reservations. The Lakota were originally from the Great Lakes and were involved in battles such as the “Battle of the Little Bighorn” and “Wounded Knee Massacre.” The Nakota once lived in northern Minnesota and are the smallest subdivision. The Dakota lived in Ohio before moving to Minnesota and Nebraska and played a role in the Sioux uprising of 1862. Sioux reservations are sovereign nations managed by tribal councils. The term Sioux comes from the American Indian word Nadouessioux.
The Sioux Nation is the collective name for the three groups of Native American Sioux peoples: Lakota, Nakota and Dakota. Each group lives on its own reservation in the United States and uses its own language. The various Sioux reservations are considered sovereign nations, and the tribes have their own systems of government. The three subdivisions that make up the Sioux Nation include seven tribes and 14 individual bands, including the Oglala, Hunkpapa and Brule.
The Lakota originally lived around the Great Lakes of the United States. As Europeans began settling this land, the Lakota moved further west, eventually settling in Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, and Wyoming. The Lakota Indians were instrumental in the 1876 “Battle of the Little Bighorn” and were victims of a large-scale massacre at the “Wounded Knee Massacre” in 1891. The Lakota language is still spoken by approximately 20,000 members of the Sioux Nation, who today mainly they live in North and South Dakota. The word Lakota, appropriately enough, means “prairie dwellers.”
The Nakota Native American tribes once thrived in areas of northern Minnesota, located along the Mississippi River. Like the Lakota, the Nakota were pushed westward as white settlers took over their land and tribes moved into North Dakota, South Dakota, and western parts of Iowa and Minnesota. Also known as the Yankton, the Nakota tribes fought the Lakota and Dakota for land and resources as all three groups sought to occupy the same regions. Today the Nakota are the smallest of the three subdivisions of the Sioux Nation.
The Dakota Indians lived in Ohio before moving to Minnesota and Nebraska as westward expansion continued. The Dakotas, or Santees, were forest people who survived on farming, fishing, and hunting. They played an integral role in the infamous Sioux uprising of 1862 when a small group of Dakotas attacked a white man, repelling other attacks by Dakotas on whites throughout Minnesota. They were stopped by the US Army and ultimately 38 Dakota men were hanged in the largest gang execution in US history.
All three subdivisions of the Sioux Nation’s Native American tribes have ancestors living on reservations in the United States today. Among these are the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana, the Spirit Lake Reservation in North Dakota, and the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Sioux reservations are sovereign nations and are commonly managed by tribal councils.
The term Sioux was coined by French Canadian explorers in the 17th century. It has since been adopted by the general public, the US government, and Native American tribes themselves; the word comes from the American Indian word Nadouessioux.
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