Oceti Sakowin

Introduction
Names and etymology
Precontact way of life and culture
The beginning of the struggle for the West
The Battle of the Little Bighorn and the cessation of war
21st century

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

A Cheyenne River Sioux dancer in colorful traditional regalia performs during the Grand Entry at a powwow, with an American flag and other participants in the background.

A bronze bust of an Indigenous American figure sits in a kitchen, overlaid with sacks of rice marked with a green check and milk with sugar cubes crossed out.

Open book showing the title page of Old Indian Legends by Zitkala-Sa and an illustration of a man bending toward a woman in a grassy clearing under a tree.

At a Glance

Sioux summary

Quizzes

Tecumseh. Battle of the Thames, Ontario, Canada, and the death of Tecumseh. Col. Richard M. Johnson with the Kentucky volunteers on left battle with Tecumseh and his Native troops. Native American Shawnee chief. North American indian. (See Notes)

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Related Questions

How are the Lakota Sihasapa also known as the Blackfoot different from the Algonquian-speaking Blackfoot people?
How did Chief Little Crow lead Dakota resistance in Minnesota in 1862?
How did Crazy Horse help draw Captain William J. Fetterman’s soldiers into an ambush?
How did Oceti Sakowin men gain status in traditional society?
How did Oceti Sakowin military societies help their communities?
How did Sitting Bull die in 1890?
How did the Ghost Dance movement spread among the Oceti Sakowin?
How did the Ojibwe name Nadouessioux become the word Sioux?
How did the Pick-Sloan plan affect Native American communities along the Missouri River?
How did the movement of the Dakota affect the Lakota and Nakota?
How did visions influence the designs painted on Oceti Sakowin war shields?
How is Oceti Sakowin pronounced?
How was the bear significant in Lakota and Dakota spiritual beliefs?
What does the name Oceti Sakowin mean in English?
What happened at Wounded Knee in 1890?
What happened during the Fetterman Massacre in 1866?
What happened during the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862?
What happened to George Armstrong Custer and the U.S. 7th Cavalry at the Battle of the Little Bighorn?
What occurred when American Indian Movement members occupied Wounded Knee in 1973?
What purposes did women’s societies serve in Oceti Sakowin communities?
What roles did Oceti Sakowin women have in quillwork, beadwork, and bison-hide production?
Where did the Dakota live before the middle of the 17th century?
Which Oceti Sakowin bands are part of the Dakota group?
Which bands are included in the Nakota group?
Which farming peoples did the Oceti Sakowin trade with on the Plains?
Which seven bands were represented by the seven council fires of the Oceti Sakowin?
Which seven divisions make up the Lakota or Teton group?
Why did Sitting Bull and his followers travel to Canada after the Plains Wars?
Why did Sitting Bull eventually surrender to the United States?
Why did gold discoveries in the Black Hills lead to renewed conflict with the Oceti Sakowin?
Why did some Mandan, Sahnish, Hidatsa, and Pawnee people ally with the U.S. military?
Why did starvation develop on Dakota reservations before the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862?
Why did the Ghost Dance appeal to Oceti Sakowin people living on reservations?
Why did the destruction of bison herds force many Oceti Sakowin people onto reservations?
Why do many people use the name Sioux for the Oceti Sakowin?
Why do some Oceti Sakowin people prefer the names Dakota, Nakota, or Lakota instead of Sioux?
Why is the execution of 38 Dakota men in 1862 historically significant?
Why was the Sun Dance criminalized by the U.S. federal government from 1883 to 1934?
Why was the Sun Dance the most important annual religious event for the Oceti Sakowin?
Why was the buffalo important in Oceti Sakowin religious ceremonies?
Why were 38 Dakota men hanged after the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862?
What are some traditional foods the Inuit eat?
How do the Inuit adapt to the cold Arctic climate?
How have Inuit cultures and traditions changed over time?
Which Native American peoples lived in the Pacific Northwest?
Where did the Northwest Coast Indian people live?
What was the social structure of Northwest Coast Indian society?
How did the Native Americans of the Northwest Coast get their food?
What kind of homes did the Northwest Coast Indians live in?

Geography & Travel Human Geography Peoples of the Americas North American Peoples

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External Websites

Dominican University - Native American and Indigenous Studies - Sioux
University of Minnesota - Driven to Discover - The Sioux
Native Indian Tribes - Sioux Tribe
World History Encyclopedia - Sioux
Encyclopedia of the Great Plains - Sioux
PBS - Native American Voices - Oceti Sakowin - The People of the Seven Council Fires

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

Oceti Sakowin - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
Oceti Sakowin - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Oceti Sakowin

people

Also known as: Dakota, Nadouessioux, Oceti Ŝakowiŋ, Sioux

Written and fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

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History

Oceti Sakowin, broad alliance of Indigenous North American peoples who spoke three related languages within the Siouan language family, commonly known by the exonym (a name given and used by outsiders) Sioux. The Oceti Sakowin people are divided into three groups based on the language variant they speak. The Dakota—also known as the Isanti (Santee) or Eastern Dakota (Sioux)—comprise the Mdewkanton, Wahpeton, Wahpekute, and Sisseton. The Nakota, who may additionally identify as Dakota and are...

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