Standing Rock Sioux: who are they?

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The Standing Rock Sioux Reservation is home to the Upper and Lower Yanktonai of the Lakota and Dakota nations. The Sioux may have displaced other tribes when they moved to the prairies and adopted a nomadic lifestyle based on hunting buffalo. The Lakota outnumber the Dakota and have a distinct Plains culture.

The Standing Rock Sioux Reservation is located in the states of North Dakota and South Dakota. The people of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation generally include Upper and Lower Yanktonai. The Sioux people may have originally lived near the Great Lakes, but likely moved west to the American prairies due to encroachment by other European tribes and settlers.

When the Standing Rock Sioux moved to the prairie, they may have displaced some of the tribes that lived there at the time. These tribes may have included the Hidatsa, Arikara and Mandan. The Standing Rock Sioux people belong to the Lakota and Dakota nations. Dakota and Lakota are Sioux names for themselves and mean “friends” or “allies.” The term “Sioux” originated with French traders in the 17th century.

The Sioux are believed to have displaced river tribes who lived on the prairie prior to their arrival. The Sioux are believed to have maintained open trade relations with these tribes. Some Sioux communities may have adopted technologies used by the tribes they displaced, including the earthen hut and bullboat. These Sioux tribes may also have taken advantage of the displaced tribes’ agricultural techniques. The Dakota people of the Standing Rock Sioux are also believed to have retained some aspects of their traditional forest-dwelling lifestyle and culture.

After the Sioux left their traditional forest lifestyle for a life on the prairies, it is believed they began to rely primarily on buffalo as a food source. In the 19th century, many of the Lakota people of the Standing Rock Sioux are believed to have adopted a plains-dwelling lifestyle. Aspects of the traditional forest-inhabiting Sioux culture are believed to be absent from the plains culture of the Lakota Sioux. On the prairies, the Lakota Sioux are believed to have gradually developed a nomadic culture based on hunting large game such as buffalo.

The Lakota are considered to outnumber the Dakota. The Lakota of the Standing Rock Reservation include the Hunkpapa and the Lakota Blackfeet, a different tribe from the Algonquian Blackfeet of Montana and Canada. These peoples generally migrated further north than the Upper and Lower Yanktonai of the Dakota Sioux. They are believed to have created a distinct Plains culture away from the influence of other displaced tribes.




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