Who Are the Lakota?
The Lakota (also Teton Sioux) are the largest division of the Great Sioux Nation, numbering approximately 70,000-100,000, primarily on reservations in South Dakota—Pine Ridge, Rosebud, Cheyenne River, Standing Rock (also North Dakota), and Lower Brule. They speak Lakȟótiyapi (Lakota), a Siouan language. The Lakota became iconic Plains Indian culture—horse-mounted buffalo hunters, tipi-dwellers, Sun Dance practitioners, and fierce warriors who defeated Custer at Little Bighorn (1876). This imagery has shaped global perceptions of Native Americans, often obscuring both historical complexity and contemporary realities of reservation life.
Buffalo Culture
Lakota life centered on the buffalo (tatanka). Hunting provided food, clothing, shelter (tipi covers), tools, and spiritual meaning. The Sun Dance, Lakota's most sacred ceremony, gave thanks and sought visions. Nomadic bands followed buffalo across the northern plains; the horse (arriving c. 1750) transformed hunting and warfare. Buffalo society created warrior cultures—counting coup, hunting prowess, and vision quests defined masculine achievement. US policy deliberately destroyed buffalo herds (from millions to near-extinction) to subjugate Plains tribes—an environmental and cultural genocide. Without buffalo, Lakota were forced onto reservations.
Little Bighorn and Resistance
The Battle of Little Bighorn (1876)—where Lakota and Cheyenne warriors annihilated Custer's 7th Cavalry—represents the apex of Plains Indian military resistance. Leaders like Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse became legendary. But victory accelerated US military campaigns; within years, Lakota were confined to reservations. The Wounded Knee Massacre (1890)—where US soldiers killed approximately 300 Lakota, including women and children—ended armed resistance and symbolized colonial violence. This history shapes Lakota identity: pride in warrior heritage, grief over losses, and ongoing resistance through different means.
Black Hills and Treaties
The 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty guaranteed Lakota the Black Hills (Paha Sapa)—sacred land central to their spirituality. Gold discovery (1874) brought miners; the US seized the hills despite treaty guarantees. In 1980, the Supreme Court ruled the seizure illegal and ordered compensation (now worth over $1 billion with interest). The Lakota have refused payment, demanding return of the land itself. This case exemplifies indigenous land rights struggles: Can monetary compensation substitute for sacred territory? The Black Hills claim remains unresolved—a symbol of broken treaties and ongoing sovereignty assertions.
Contemporary Lakota
Pine Ridge and other Lakota reservations rank among America's poorest areas. Unemployment exceeds 80%; life expectancy is decades below national average; suicide rates, especially among youth, are epidemic. Generations of trauma—removal, boarding schools, poverty—create cascading challenges. Yet cultural revitalization persists: Lakota language programs, Sun Dance ceremonies (suppressed until 1978), horse culture restoration, and traditional arts. Activism continues—from Standing Rock water protector camps (2016) to ongoing Black Hills advocacy. How Lakota address reservation poverty while maintaining cultural identity and sovereignty defines their contemporary struggle.
References
- DeMallie, R. (2001). Handbook of North American Indians, Vol. 13: Plains
- Ostler, J. (2004). The Plains Sioux and U.S. Colonialism from Lewis and Clark to Wounded Knee
- Marshall, J. M. III (2004). The Lakota Way: Stories and Lessons for Living