🦅 Sioux (Očhéthi Šakówiŋ) People

The Great Sioux Nation - Seven Council Fires

Who Are the Sioux?

The Sioux, who call themselves **Očhéthi Šakówiŋ** ("Seven Council Fires"), are a confederation of related Great Plains peoples numbering approximately 170,000 enrolled members across reservations in the Dakotas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Montana, and Canadian reserves in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The three main divisions—**Lakota** (Teton), **Dakota** (Santee), and **Nakota** (Yankton)—speak related Siouan languages. The Lakota, the westernmost and largest group, became iconic representations of Plains Indian culture: skilled buffalo hunters and horse warriors who defeated Custer at Little Bighorn (1876), defended the Black Hills they consider sacred, and continue fighting for sovereignty and treaty rights through movements like Standing Rock.

170KEnrolled Members
7Council Fires
1876Little Bighorn
9US Reservations

The Seven Council Fires

The **Očhéthi Šakówiŋ** confederation comprises seven major divisions: four Dakota bands (Mdewakanton, Wahpekute, Sisseton, Wahpeton), two Nakota bands (Yankton, Yanktonai), and the seven Lakota bands (Oglala, Sicangu/Brulé, Hunkpapa, Miniconjou, Sihasapa, Itazipco, Oohenumpa). Originally woodland people in Minnesota, the Sioux migrated westward beginning in the 1700s after acquiring horses, transforming into quintessential Plains buffalo hunters. The Lakota especially became master equestrians, expanding their territory across the Northern Plains and displacing earlier inhabitants including the Crow, Pawnee, and Kiowa. By the mid-1800s, Lakota territory extended from the Missouri River to the Bighorn Mountains, from the Yellowstone to the Platte—one of the largest indigenous domains in North American history.

Sacred Black Hills and Spiritual Life

The **Black Hills** (Pahá Sápa) of South Dakota are the sacred center of Lakota spirituality—the "heart of everything that is"—where the people emerged from underground and where ceremonies ensure cosmic balance. The annual **Sun Dance** (Wiwanyang Wacipi), involving fasting, piercing, and sacrifice, remains the most important Lakota ceremony, though it was banned by the US government from 1883 to 1978. The **Vision Quest** (Haŋbléčeyapi) involves solitary fasting on a hilltop seeking spiritual guidance. The **Sweat Lodge** (Inipi) purifies participants through heat, prayer, and steam. The **Sacred Pipe** (Čhaŋnúŋpa), brought by White Buffalo Calf Woman, connects the people to Wakan Tanka (the Great Mystery/Spirit). These ceremonies, suppressed during the reservation era, have experienced revival and remain central to Lakota identity, practiced by traditionalists while many Sioux also follow Christianity or the syncretic Native American Church.

Resistance and Wounded Knee

The Sioux fought the longest and most successful resistance to American expansion. The **Great Sioux War** (1876-77) followed the US attempt to seize the Black Hills after gold discovery. At the **Battle of Little Bighorn** (June 25, 1876), Lakota and Cheyenne warriors led by **Sitting Bull** and **Crazy Horse** annihilated Custer's 7th Cavalry—the worst US Army defeat in the Indian Wars. Victory proved pyrrhic: overwhelming military force eventually confined the Sioux to reservations. The **Wounded Knee Massacre** (December 29, 1890) killed 250-300 Lakota men, women, and children, ending armed resistance. In 1973, the **American Indian Movement** (AIM) occupied Wounded Knee for 71 days, reviving Sioux activism. The 2016-17 **Standing Rock protests** against the Dakota Access Pipeline continued this tradition, uniting tribes nationally and drawing global attention to Sioux sovereignty and environmental concerns.

Contemporary Sioux Nations

Nine Sioux reservations in the US include **Pine Ridge** (Oglala), **Rosebud** (Sicangu), **Standing Rock** (Hunkpapa/Yanktonai), and **Cheyenne River** (Miniconjou)—among America's largest and poorest. Pine Ridge consistently ranks among the most economically depressed communities in the nation: 80%+ unemployment, life expectancy 20 years below the US average, epidemic alcoholism and suicide. Yet cultural vitality persists: Lakota language immersion schools combat language loss (approximately 6,000 speakers remain), the Sun Dance and other ceremonies flourish, and tribal colleges provide education rooted in Lakota values. The Black Hills land claim—the US Supreme Court ruled in 1980 that the Hills were illegally taken and awarded $102 million—remains unresolved; the Sioux refuse payment, demanding return of the land. This rejection of compensation for sacred land exemplifies ongoing Sioux determination to maintain identity and sovereignty against overwhelming odds.

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