“Sioux” is an outside name for the Oceti Sakowin, the Seven Council Fires, whose Lakota, Dakota and Nakota nations live today on reservations and in communities across the northern Great Plains and Canada.
Why is “Sioux” an outside name?
“Sioux” is a shortened French version of an Ojibwe word for the people, not a name the nations gave themselves. Their own name, Oceti Sakowin Oyate, means “People of the Seven Council Fires” (Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian).
This page uses “Sioux” because it still appears in treaty names and in the legal names of several tribal governments today. It does not cover every one of the seven council fires’ individual histories in depth.
What is the Oceti Sakowin, and what are Lakota, Dakota and Nakota?
The Oceti Sakowin is an alliance of seven related nations that speak one language in three dialects: Dakota, Nakota and Lakota (NMAI).
The seven original council fires are the Wahpekute, Wahpetunwan, Sisistunwan, Bdwakantunwan, Ihanktunwan, Ihanktunwanna and Titunwan (NMAI). The Titunwan is the largest of the seven and later split into several bands on the western plains. This page gives the overall structure. It does not describe the internal government of any single band.
Where do Sioux nations live today?
Descendant nations hold sovereign governments across Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota and Montana, and in Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Canada (NMAI).
Three of the largest reservations are in South Dakota. The Oglala Sioux Tribe governs the Pine Ridge Reservation, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe governs the Rosebud Reservation, and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe governs the Standing Rock Reservation, which crosses into North Dakota (South Dakota Department of Tribal Relations). Many other Sioux nations and reservations exist beyond these three. This page names only a few of the largest.
What happened at the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty and the Black Hills?
The Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 recognized the Black Hills as part of the Great Sioux Reservation, land set aside for Sioux use (National Archives).
After gold was found in the Black Hills in 1874, miners moved in and the U.S. government took the land in 1877, breaking the treaty. Ownership of the Black Hills is still disputed between the Sioux nations and the U.S. government today (National Archives). This section covers only the Fort Laramie Treaty and the Black Hills. It does not cover every later treaty or land claim involving Sioux nations.
Is the Lakota language still spoken?
Yes. Lakota is a living language, and community organizations run schools, teacher training and dictionary projects to keep it strong for new speakers. The Lakota Language Consortium, founded by Lakota educators and elders, has trained teachers, built a K-12 curriculum and published the New Lakota Dictionary since work began at Pine Ridge in the late 1990s (Lakota Language Consortium).
Fluency and language programs differ by community and by generation. This page does not have current fluency numbers for every Sioux nation or reservation.
Where to learn more
The Sioux nations are part of the wider Native American history and culture section. For another Plains nation’s relationship with horses, see how horses changed life on the Plains, and for symbols used across many Native nations, see Native American symbols.
Sources
- Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. Belonging to the Oceti Sakowin Nation
- National Archives. Sioux Treaty of 1868
- South Dakota Department of Tribal Relations. Oglala Sioux Tribe
- South Dakota Department of Tribal Relations. Rosebud Sioux Tribe
- South Dakota Department of Tribal Relations. Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
- Lakota Language Consortium. Our History