Sioux

Q: What does the name Sioux mean?

The name Sioux means "little snakes" and is a misinterpretation of an Ojibwe reference which meant "people of the snake-like river", meaning the Mississippi River, the area the Sioux came from.

Q: What did the Sioux call themselves?

The people now known as Sioux call themselves Oceti Sakowin - People of the Seven Council Fires - a reference to each of the original seven tribes bringing coals to the communal council fire.

Q: Why are the Sioux called Dakota or Lakota?

Dakota and Lakota are the words for "friend" or "ally" in different dialects of the Siouan language and refer to the bonds between the various Siouan-speaking tribes.

Q: Where are the Sioux now?

The Sioux are still fighting for their rights and justice from the US government from reservations in Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

Joshua J. Mark

Definition

The Sioux are a native North American nation who inhabited the Great Plains region of, roughly, modern Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. They are one of the many nations referred to as Plains Indians who lived in the region for approximately 13,000 years before the arrival of the Europeans in the 17th century.

More about: Sioux

Timeline

c. 13000 BCE - 1890 CE
The Sioux nation lives freely in North America.
c. 1700 CE
The Sioux nation has mastered the horse; becomes part of the "Horse Culture" of the Plains Indians.
1854 CE - 1890 CE
The Sioux Wars steadily drive the Sioux nation onto reservations.
19 Aug 1854 CE
The Grattan Fight (also known as the Grattan Massacre) occurs in Nebraska Territory when members of the US cavalry under John Grattan kill Lakota Sioux leader Conquering Bear for no reason, resulting in the massacre of Grattan and his command and the beginning of the First Sioux War.
1866 CE - 1868 CE
Red Cloud's War.
1873 CE
Red Cloud moves his people to reservation.
1874 CE - 1909 CE
Red Cloud advocates for Sioux rights to the Black Hills and Native American rights.
1876 CE
Cheyenne and Arapaho join with Sioux in the great victory at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
25 Jun 1876 CE
The Battle of the Little Bighorn begins, the most famous engagement of the Great Sioux War of 1876-1877, ending on 26 June with the death of Lt. Colonel George Custer and five companies of the 7th Cavalry.
6 May 1877 CE
Sioux warrior Crazy Horse surrenders to US authorities at the Red Cloud Agency, Fort Robinson, Nebraska, arriving there on 5 May, ending his resistance to the land theft of the United States. He is killed there four months later on 5 September.
5 Sep 1877 CE
Lakota Sioux leader Crazy Horse is killed at Fort Robinson, Nebraska for resisting imprisonment when he is bayoneted by a guard. Crazy Horse became famous for his victory at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876 when he defeated the Seventh Cavalry under George Armstrong Custer.
15 Dec 1890 CE
Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux leader Sitting Bull is shot and killed by police officers during an attempt to arrest him at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Although Sitting Bull had surrendered, and was living peacefully, the local Indian agent thought he might join with and inspire the Ghost Dance movement and so ordered his arrest.