The Dakota tribe is a Sioux offshoot from the west-central US, with members now residing in the US and Canada. They were divided into four groups, and some were relocated to reservations. The tribe was involved in the War of 1812 and the Dakota Conflict Trials, which led to the Dakota War of 1862 and the execution of 38 members.
A Native American Dakota is a member of an offshoot of the Sioux Indian tribe. The homelands of Dakota were generally located in the west-central United States, in parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North and South Dakota. Members and descendants of the Native American Dakota tribe currently reside in different parts of the United States and Canada.
The Dakota Tribe is classified as one of the Sioux tribes located in the Dakota Territory. Sioux is a French-Canadian abbreviation of the Chippewa word meaning “an adder” or “an enemy.” Members of the Sioux were in regular conflict with the Chippewa Indians, who were supported by French settlers. Members of the Sioux tribe called themselves the Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota tribes; these names are simply variations on the words Santee, Yankton, and Teton meaning “allies” or “friends.” A Native American from Dakota may identify as a “Santee Sioux.”
The largest of the Sioux branches, the members of the Dakota tribe, were divided into four groups: Mdewakantonwon, Wahpeton, Wahpekute and Sisseton. Most of these groups are based in North or South Dakota. Wahpekute Native Americans, however, are now found on Santee Reservations in Nebraska and Montana. The Native American population of the Dakotas is in decline, and only a relatively small number of American Indians speak the Santee dialect today.
The explorers recorded their observations and experiences with the Sioux Indians. A British officer, Lieutenant Gorrell, commented that they used bows and arrows with great skill. He also noticed that the Sioux Indians were extraordinary dancers. Although the Lakota and Dakota Indians were originally farmers and hunters, they eventually gave up farming and followed the buffalo herds throughout the Dakota Territory and other areas of the United States. Some observers believed that the Dakota Indians were among the better educated tribes, as many books and newspapers in the Dakota dialect were printed regularly.
There are two major incidents involving the Native American Dakota tribe in United States history: the Dakota’s involvement in the War of 1812 and the events of the Dakota Conflict Trials. During the War of 1812, members of the Dakota tribe generally sided with the British. However, Tohami, also known as the “Rising Moose”, fought on the American side in St. Louis, Missouri. Following the conclusion of the war, the Native American Dakota tribe made peace with the United States.
In 1851, several groups of Dakota Indians gave their land to the United States for cash. Eventually, several thousand of the tribe’s people were relocated to two reservations. Many Dakota Indians, already affected by the effects of poverty, have not received payment for land ceded in the Minnesota Territory. Conflict between Dakota Indians and Americans escalated, and in 1857 a band of Dakota Indians killed 40 Americans in an event known as the “Spirit Lake Massacre.”
The fighting continued, leading to the Dakota War of 1862 which lasted for about six weeks. A commission appointed by Minnesota Governor Henry Sibley found 323 Dakota Indians guilty of murder and other crimes. Of these, 303 were sentenced to hang, but President Abraham Lincoln only allowed 38 to face execution. The war ended on December 26, 1862, when the 38 convicted members of the Dakota tribe were executed in Mankato.
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