Did you know that November is Native American Heritage Month?
DID YOU ALSO KNOW THAT NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY WAS SOME OF MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE WHILE I WAS STUDYING FOR MY DEGREE?
For my second featured nation I’ve chosen – The Sioux.
Did you know that during their western migration to the Great Plains the Great Sioux Nation split into three divisions?
The Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota. All of these names mean “allies.”
The Sioux tribe is perhaps one of the most well known of all Native tribes. They are also one of my favorites! They originally lived as Woodland Indians along the upper Mississippi in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. They were forced west by the French and their Chippewa allies. The Sioux nation was the largest of all the Native tribes and consisted of three divisions which were based on their location, dialect, and their subculture.
The Lakota Sioux, renowned for their warrior culture, were from the west and consisted of seven bands including the Hunkpapa, Itazipacola, Miniconjous, Oglala, Oohenumpa, Sicangu, and the Sihasapa. The Lakota were also known as the Teton and the ‘Dwellers on the Plains’. They were the major opponents of the US Army during the Sioux Wars.
The Dakota Sioux, also recognized as the Isanti/Santee, were from the east and consisted of four bands called the Mdeakantonwon, Sisseton, Wahpekute, and the Wahpeton. They were known as the ‘Knife Makers.”
The Nakota Sioux, also acknowledged as the Ihanktown were by far the smallest division. They were located in the east and consisted of three bands called the Yankton, the Lower Yankton, and the Upper Yankton. They were named the “Keepers of the Sacred Pipestone.”
The Sioux tribal territory consisted of the Great Plains. They lived in tepees constructed from wooden poles that were covered with durable animal skins such as buffalo hides. The buffalo was very important to the Sioux as their hides were used for seating, bedding, and covers. This sort of shelter suited the nomadic lifestyle of the Sioux. You see, a tepee was quick to both put up and to dismantle. A Siouan village could easily be ready to move within an hour. Impressive!
Importance of Religion
One of my favorite things about the Sioux was their religion and beliefs in Animism. That belief encompassed the spiritual or religious idea that the universe and all-natural objects animals, plants, trees, rivers, mountains rocks have souls or spirits. I can get behind that! Specifically, in Lakota Sioux mythology, Chapa is the beaver spirit and symbolizes domesticity, labor, and preparation. The Great Plains tribes such as the Sioux believed in Manitou, the Great Spirit. The Sioux name for the Great Spirit is ‘Wakan Tanka,’ which roughly translates to the ‘Great Mystery.’
“When
– Native American proverb, lakota siouxman moves away from nature, his heart becomes hard.”
In fact, religion was an integral part of all aspects of Sioux life, as it was for most Native American peoples. The Sioux recognized four powers as ruling the universe, and each power, in turn, was divided into hierarchies of four. Unsurprisingly, the buffalo had a prominent place in all Sioux rituals. Among the certain bands of the Sioux, the bear was also a symbolically important animal. It was believed that bear power obtained in a vision was restorative, and some groups enacted a ceremonial bear hunt to protect warriors before their departure on a raid.
Warfare and supernaturalism were very closely linked, to the extent that designs suggested in mystical visions were painted on war shields to protect the bearers from their enemies. The annual Sun Dance was the most important religious event. And let’s face it, the Sioux saw their fair share of warfare.
The Sioux before the Settlers
Before the arrival of settlers, Sioux men obtained status by performing brave deeds in warfare; horses and scalps obtained in a raid were evidence of valor. Sioux women were skilled at porcupine-quill and bead embroidery, they favored geometric designs. Community policing was executed by men’s military societies, the most significant duty was to oversee the buffalo hunt. Women generally focused on fertility, healing, and the overall welfare of the group.
Warfare
The Sioux were fiercely protective of their lands and were extremely resistant to invasions upon their territory. Teton and Yankton territory included the vast area between the Missouri River and the Teton Mountains and between the Platte River on the south and the Yellowstone River on the north. That is a lot of area!! It’s all of the present-day states of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, and Wyoming.
This territory was increasingly broached as the colonial frontier moved westward past the Mississippi River in the mid-19th century. This was largely due to the California Gold Rush of 1849. It essentially opened a floodgate of travelers/settlers, and many Sioux became enraged by the U.S. government’s attempt to establish the Bozeman Trail and other routes through the tribes’ sovereign territories.
The United States attempted to prevent strife by negotiating the First Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1851. This treaty was with the Sioux and other Plains peoples. The treaty assigned territories to each tribe throughout the northern Great Plains and set terms for the building of forts and roads within the region of the country.
Unfortunately, the treaty left the Santee Sioux giving up most of their land in Minnesota in exchange for annuities and other considerations. They were restricted to a reservation and encouraged to take up agriculture, but government mishandling of their annuities, reduced game reserves,
Sioux Uprising
You see, while many settlers were fighting in the Civil War, Santee Warriors took advantage and saw the opportunity to take their lands back. Under the leadership of Chief Little Crow, the Santee mounted a bloody attempt to rid their traditional territory of outsiders. Although United States troops soon mollified the region, more than 400 settlers, 70 soldiers, and 30 Santee had been killed in this bloody encounter. In return, 300 Santee were condemned to death for their roles in what would become known as the Sioux Uprising. While President Lincoln exonerated the sentences of most of these men, 38 Santee were hanged in what was the largest mass execution in U.S. history.
Then in 1865–67 the Oglala Chief Red Cloud led thousands of Sioux warriors in a campaign to halt construction of the Bozeman Trail. I’m reading a book about Chief Red Cloud right now called “The Heart of Everything That Is” by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin. It’s a great book that I highly recommend. In December of 1866, warriors under Chief High Backbone drew a U.S. military patrol from Fort Phil Kearny into a trap. The commanding officer disregarded warnings that the Sioux often used “injured” riders as decoys to draw their enemies into an ambush.
Capt. William J. Fetterman, feel for the Sioux trap when he led his men directly into an ambush after he chased a decoy. The entire group of some 80 U.S. soldiers were killed. The decoy was the infamous Crazy Horse. Clearly, he was already displaying the characteristics that later made him a major military leader among his people. The worst U.S. defeat on the Plains to that point, the so-called Fetterman Massacre reignited the anti-Native sentiment that had flared in the eastern states after the Sioux Uprising of 1862.
Another Treaty and More Warfare
This massacre led to the Second Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868, this treaty acknowledged that the West was both a very expensive and difficult place to develop. The United States agreed to abandon the Bozeman Trail and guaranteed the Sioux peoples exclusive possession of the present state of South Dakota west of the Missouri River. However, when gold was discovered in the Black Hills of South Dakota in the mid-1870s, all of that changed. Thousands of miners disregarded the treaty and swarmed onto the Sioux reservation, and you can imagine what happened next.
The Battle of Little Bighorn
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The Battle of Little Bighorn, also known as Custards Last Stand, happened June 26, 1876. The battle took place at the Little Bighorn River in Montana Territory. The United States troops (the 7th Cavalry) were led by General George A. Custer and they were up against the Lakota (specifically the Teton) and the Northern Cheyenne. The Northern Plains Indians were led by Sitting Bull, who was infamous for his lifelong distrust of the white man and his determination to resist their dominance.
On June 22, Custer and the 7th Cavalry were instructed to pursue Sitting Bull into the Little Bighorn Valley. The plan was for Custer to attack the Lakota and Cheyenne from the South and forc them into a trap where more U.S. troops would be waiting. By June 25, Custer’s troops had found Sitting Bull’s village and intended to attack the following morning. However, a few stray Natives spotted the 7th cavalry and Custer just assumed they would alert the village of the oncoming attack. At that moment, Custer chose to attack immediately.
Not only did he attack immediately in fear that Sitting Bull’s village would scatter but he also split the cavalry into 3 battalions. This tactic was disastrous and led his men to slaughter as splitting his regiment in this way left them vulnerable and unable to provide support to one another. Not only that, but Sitting Bull had a few surprises up his sleeves.
The first being the sheer number of warriors that were present. While Army intelligence had suggested that Sitting Bull had 800 warriors, it turned out that in reality, he had closer to 2,000 Sioux and Cheyenne warriors. They were armed with rifles and would do anything to protect what was theirs. Crazy Horse, leader of the Oglala Lakota, was praised for his courageous actions in this particular battle.
Custer and all 210 men who followed him were slain on the field of battle. The desperate fight lasted all of 2 hours and only a single wounded horse was left of Custer’s entire 7th Cavalry when all was said and done. While there were only about 50 known deaths among Sitting Bull’s followers. Unfortunately, for the Sioux, the bloodshed at Little Big Horn shocked the American settlers into demanding absolute revenge.
The Plains Wars continued through 1876 and ended when American troops trapped 3,000 Sioux at the Tongue River and the tribe officially surrendered. The majority of the Sioux returned to reservations, but Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and Gall refused to take their people back to the reservations. Eventually, they were left with little choice and Crazy Horse finally surrendered in 1877 and died that same year while resisting arrest for leaving the reservation. Sitting Bull and Gall escaped to Canada but eventually returned to the United States and surrendered without incidents.
“Upon suffering beyond suffering, the Red Nation shall rise again, and it shall be a blessing for a sick world. A world filled with broken promises, selfishness, and separation. A world longing for light again.”
– Crazy horse
The Ghost Dance Religion
By the late 1800s, the Ghost Dance religion became increasingly popular amongst the Sioux people. It promised exactly what they desired, a coming of a messiah and the disappearance of all peoples of European descent from North America. There would also be a return of large buffalo herds and a reunion with their dead ancestors. At this point, the Sioux had suffered almost continuous hardships at the hands of corrupt government officials and it’s easy to see why they clung to the Ghost Dance religion and all that it promised.
The End of Resistance
The United States government saw this new religion as a threat and began to arrest its leaders. Around 1890, Sitting Bull was ordered to stay away from Ghost Dance gatherings and was later killed as Lakota police officers tried to take him into custody for defying those orders. Eventually, the revitalized 7th Cavalry had their revenge when they massacred 200 Sioux men, women, and children at Wounded Knee Creek. Most of us have heard of Wounded Knee as it was the largest massacre of women and children of the time. This is when the Sioux ceased all military resistance.
It’s easy to see why the Sioux are some of the most well-known Native Americans to date. I’m planning a trip out West and I am definitely going to be visiting the Crazy Horse Memorial and the Little Bighorn Battlefield.
There was a time when the land was sacred, and the ancient ones were as one with it. A time when only the children of the Great Spirit were here to light their fires in these places with no boundaries…
In that time, when there were only simple ways, I saw with my heart the conflicts to come, and whether it was to be for good or bad, what was certain was that there would be change.
– The Great Spirit
Resources
https://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/indian-tribes/sioux-tribe.htm
https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-the-Little-Bighorn
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sioux
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