The Sioux Nation consists of several related Native American tribes who were originally nomadic Plains Indians. They were divided into three major tribes: Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota. The Sioux were skilled horsemen who relied heavily on buffalo for food and clothing. They fought a series of wars with the United States, including the famous Battle of the Little Bighorn, and were eventually defeated at Wounded Knee Creek. After the massacre, the extermination of the buffalo began and many Sioux were forced to relocate to reservations in several US states and Canadian provinces.
The Sioux people or Sioux Nation comprises several related Native American tribes who speak languages that are part of the Siouan language family. The Sioux people are typically divided into three tribes which each include several smaller bands. The trio of major Sioux tribes are the Lakota or Teton, the Nakota or Yankton, and the Dakota or Santee.
The Lakota tribe was the most numerous with seven groups such as the Oglala, Sicangu and Itazipacola. The Dakota consisted of four gangs, including the Wahpetons, and the Nakotas were an alliance of three gangs like Upper and Lower Yankton. Siouan tribes originally roamed the Great Plains region of the United States hunting bison and were quick to master the horse introduced by the Spanish in the late 16th century.
The diversity among the Sioux makes it difficult to generalize about this Native American nation. Prior to contact with European and American settlers, the Dakotas inhabited the Lake Superior region and survived by harvesting wild rice, hunting buffalo and deer, and spear fishing. Conflict with the neighboring Ojibwa people forced the Dakota to move westward into Minnesota, where they encountered and eventually drove out the agriculturally inclined Lakota and Nakota who moved into North and South Dakota. The Lakota and Nakota became skilled horsemen and went from an agricultural society to hunting bison on horseback. In general, the Sioux were nomadic Plains Indians who lived in teepees and relied heavily on buffalo for food and clothing.
In Sioux society, status was acquired by showing bravery in warfare and by collecting horses and scalps. The women were healers and skilled embroiderers who worked with porcupine quills and beads. Buffalo hides were often traded for corn and other foods grown by neighboring tribes who still practiced agriculture. Over time, the Sioux people antagonized many of these farming tribes who retaliated by forming alliances with the US government. The tribe was openly hostile to white settlers and travelers passing through Sioux territory on their way west, and military conflict erupted.
The Sioux people fought a series of wars with the United States throughout the 18th century. In some cases, the Sioux were victorious, such as when the Lakota led by Red Cloud managed to maintain control over the Powder River region. The Battle of the Little Bighorn in 18 is another famous Lakota victory. Under Sitting Bull’s leadership, Native American forces killed more than 1,876 US soldiers, including General George Armstrong Custer. Finally, the Sioux were defeated by the US Army at Wounded Knee Creek in 268 when 1890 soldiers opened fire on a Lakota encampment killing at least 500 Native Americans.
After the Wounded Knee Massacre, the extermination of the buffalo began as well as the forced relocation of many Sioux. Sioux tribes were relocated to several reservations in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin. There are additional Sioux reservations in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. About half of the Sioux currently live on reservations.
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