Native American Nations: Sioux

Native American Nations: Sioux — page 1 — CHAPTER 1 Homelands The Sioux name comes from the Ojibwa word Nadouessioux nay-doo-we-sue It means little snakes or lesser enemies In the 1700s French traders and trappers shortened this Ojibwa word to Sioux However the Sioux nation call themselves Oceti Sakowin oh-shet-ee shah-ko-ween which means Seven Council Fires Many Sioux creation stories say their homelands were in the Black Hills of present-day South Dakota The Black Hills are sacred to the Sioux people Others say the Sioux came from the woodlands of present-day northern Minnesota By the time Europeans arrived in America the Sioux controlled most of the Great Plains 4

Native American Nations: Sioux — page 2 — Many Sioux still live in the Black Hills of South Dakota This region gets its name because its tree covered hills appear black when viewed from far away

Native American Nations: Sioux — page 3 — CHAPTER 2 Society The Sioux all speak the same language But there are three different dialects These are Dakota Nakota and Lakota The Sioux were divided into seven subnations Each subnation was made up of one to seven bands or ospaye oh-shpie-ye A band included several extended families called tiospaye tee-oh-shpie-ye who all had a common ancestor When a couple got married they lived with the woman’s tiospaye Sioux leaders were older women The leaders were chosen by the people They were chosen because they had shown their wisdom and love for the people Leaders did not tell others what to do Instead they gave suggestions and recommendations Decisions for the entire band were made at meetings The discussions continued until everyone agreed 6

Native American Nations: Sioux — page 4 — THE SIOUX HOMELANDS WASHINGTON Woodlands MAINE MONTANA NORTH DAKOTA OREGON MINNESOTA VERMONT NEW HAMPSHIRE MASSACHUSETTS IDAHO WISCONSIN Black SOUTH DAKOTA Mills NEW YORK WYOMING MICHIGAN RHODE ISLAND CONNECTICUT NEW JERSEY IOWA PENNSYLVANIA NEVADA NEBRASKA OHIO UTAH ILLINOIS INDIANA -DELAWARE MARYLAND WASHINGTON DC WEST VIRGINIA COLORADO KANSAS VIRGINIA CALIFORNIA MISSOURI KENTUCKY NORTH CAROLINA TENNESSEE ARIZONA OKLAHOMA NEW MEXICO ARKANSAS SOUTH CAROLINA MISSISSIPPI ALABAMA GEORGIA TEXAS ALASKA LOUISIANA FLORIDA THE SIOUX HOMELANDS HAWAII

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