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The Sioux (Očhéthi Šakówiŋ) are a broad alliance of related American Indian and First Nations peoples who traditionally lived in the Great Plains region of North America.

The name Sioux was given to them by the Ojibwa. It is an abbreviation of Nadouessioux, which means "enemies" in Ojibwa, although it is sometimes translated as "little snakes."

The Great Sioux Nation is comprised of eighteen separate tribes or bands, which are divided into three main divisions: the Lakota Sioux, Dakota Sioux, and the Nakota Sioux. Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota all mean "ally" or "friend," the differences being primarily in the pronunciation of the dialects, which might be compared to the differences in speech between Northern and Southern English-speaking people in the United States.

Going back at least three thousand years, the Sioux are one of the oldest American Indian tribes in North America and one of the largest. At its peak, its territory covered thousands of square miles.

The Sioux were originally in the central Mississippi River Valley and Great Lakes region. They were forced westward in 1659 by the Iroquois, who had acquired firearms from the French. Eventually, the Sioux settled in the Great Plains, covering what are now the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska, which became known as the Great Sioux Nation. They became proficient on horseback, and they dominated the region for centuries, following the buffalo herds.

Their history also includes numerous conflicts with European-American settlers, gold minders, and the United States Army, including the well-known Battle of Little Bighorn and the Wounded Knee Massacre.

While they put up a better fight than most, by the late 1800s, the U.S. government eventually reduced the Great Sioux Nation to the Great Sioux Reservations, where many continue to reside.

The proper name for the Sioux is the People of the Seven Council Fires (Očhéthi Šakówiŋ or Oceti Sakowin Oyate). Within the Oceti Sakowin Oyate, there were seven bands: Wahpekute, Sistonwan, Ihanktown, Ihanktowana, Tetonwan, Wahpetonwan, and Mdewankanton.

Currently, various groups descend from the original seven, each of which maintains autonomy over their tribe (oyate). Often used interchangeably with "Sioux," the three largest subsets of the Great Sioux Nation are the "Lakota," "Nakota," and "Dakota."

Also known as the Teton, the Lakota currently reside in North and South Dakota. The Siouan dialect used by the Lakota is known as Lakȟótiyapi. There are seven bands within the Lakota. These are the Sičháŋǧu (Brulé, Burned Thighs), Oglála ("They Scatter Their Own") Itázipčho (Sans Arc, Without Bows), Húŋkpapȟa (Hunkpapa, "End Village", Camps at the End of the Camp Circle), Mnikȟówožu (Miniconjou, "Plant Near Water", Planters by the Water), Sihásapa ("Blackfeet” or “Blackfoot"), and Oóhenuŋpa (Two Kettles).

Notable Lakota have included Sitting Bull (Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake), Black Elk (Heȟáka Sápa), Red Cloud (Maȟpíya Lúta), Crazy Horse (Tȟašúŋke Witkó), and Russell Means. Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, who inspired the "Baa Baa Black Sheep" television series, was of part Brulé Sioux descent.

The Nakota (Nakoda, Nakona) refer to themselves as the Assiniboine (Hohe) in the United States, and as Stoney in Canada. They branched off from the Great Sioux Nation long ago, moving into the northern and northwestern prairie areas of what is now Montana and North Dakota, as well as to Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. In recent years, both the Assiniboine and the Stoney have minimized their historic separation from the Dakota, claiming a shared identity, and are currently found in parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Canada.

The Dakota (Dakȟóta) are typically divided into the Eastern Dakota and the Western Dakota. There are four bands of Eastern Dakota (Bdewákaŋthuŋwaŋ, Waȟpéthuŋwaŋ, Waȟpékhute, and Sisíthuŋwaŋ). Sometimes known as the Santee, the Eastern Dakota reside in eastern North Dakota, eastern South Dakota, central Minnesota, and northern Iowa. Divided into the Yankton (háŋktȟuŋwaŋ) and the Yanktonai (Iháŋktȟuŋwaŋna), the Western Dakota reside in North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Montana in the United States, and in Manitoba and Saskatchewan in Canada, where they maintain several separate tribal governments.

The Dakota language is closely related to that of the Lakoda, both of which are more distantly related to the Stoney and Assiniboine languages.

Notable Dakotas have included Scarlet Point (Inkpaduta), Sleepy Eye (Ištáȟba), Little Crow III (Thaóyate Dúta), and War Eagle (Waŋbdí Okíčhize). Charles Eastman (Hakadah, Ohíye S'a), a Santee Dakota, was the first American Indian to be certified in Western medicine and a co-founder of the Boy Scouts of America.

 

 

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