Teton

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Wounded Knee Massacre

Wounded Knee Massacre

Lakota Sioux people wearing traditional regalia.

Wounded Knee Massacre reenactment

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.

Teton

people

Also known as: Lakota, Western Dakota, Western Sioux

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July 23, 2026

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Wounded Knee Massacre — Wounded Knee Massacre Aerial view of the ravine at Wounded Knee, where Lakota women and children sought refuge from the 7th Cavalry's Hotchkiss guns, 1891.

The Teton are a division of the Dakota peoples, who are part of the larger Oceti Sakowin, or "Seven Council Fires" alliance. The Teton speak a dialect of the Dakota language. Historically, the Oceti Sakowin, including the Teton, were displaced from the Lake Superior region to areas including present-day Wyoming. As horses became common on the Plains, the Teton, like other Lakota groups, adopted nomadic lifestyles centered on bison hunting. Their culture emphasized valor in warfare, and they resisted encroachment on their territories.12

The Teton Range, a segment of the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming, is named after these people, with early French fur trappers referring to its peaks as "the three breasts". Archaeological evidence indicates human presence in the Teton region for about 11,000 years, with various Native American groups, including the Shoshone, Crow, and Blackfoot, inhabiting the area over time.3

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Black Hills
…and sacred territory of the Western Sioux Indians. At least portions of the region were also sacred to other Native American peoples—including the Cheyenne, Kiowa, and Arapaho—and the area had also been inhabited by the Crow. Rights to the region were guaranteed to Sioux and Arapaho by the Second Treaty…
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…and sacred territory of the Western Sioux Indians. At least portions of the region were also sacred to other Native American peoples—including the Cheyenne, Kiowa, and Arapaho—and the area had also been inhabited by the Crow. Rights to the region were guaranteed to Sioux and Arapaho by the Second Treaty…
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Oceti Sakowin
…also referred to as the Teton, have seven divisions—the Sihasapa (Blackfoot, not to be confused with the Algonquian-speaking Blackfoot people), Brulé (Upper and Lower), Hunkpapa, Miniconjou, Oglala, Sans Arcs, and Oohenonpa (Two-Kettle).
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…also referred to as the Teton, have seven divisions—the Sihasapa (Blackfoot, not to be confused with the Algonquian-speaking Blackfoot people), Brulé (Upper and Lower), Hunkpapa, Miniconjou, Oglala, Sans Arcs, and Oohenonpa (Two-Kettle).
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Lewis and Clark Expedition
Expedition from May 14, 1804, to October 16, 1805
The Lakota (encountered in South Dakota), however, already had British commercial ties and did not view American competition favourably, especially because it would make their enemies stronger. Their attempt to prevent the expedition from continuing upstream nearly turned violent, but Chief Black Buffalo’s diplomacy defused the…
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The Lakota (encountered in South Dakota), however, already had British commercial ties and did not view American competition favourably, especially because it would make their enemies stronger. Their attempt to prevent the expedition from continuing upstream nearly turned violent, but Chief Black Buffalo’s diplomacy defused the…
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Northeast Indian
Territorial and political organization
…with their Ojibwa neighbours, the Teton and Yankton Sioux bands moved the farthest west from their original territory. These bands, as well as most other Siouan-speaking groups, are usually considered to be part of the Plains Indian culture area despite their extended period of residence in the forests. The complexities…
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…with their Ojibwa neighbours, the Teton and Yankton Sioux bands moved the farthest west from their original territory. These bands, as well as most other Siouan-speaking groups, are usually considered to be part of the Plains Indian culture area despite their extended period of residence in the forests. The complexities…
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Wounded Knee Massacre
…the slaughter of approximately 150–300 Lakota individuals by United States Army troops in the area of Wounded Knee Creek in southwestern South Dakota. The massacre was the climax of the U.S. Army’s late 19th-century efforts to repress the Plains peoples. It broke any organized resistance to reservation life and assimilation…
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…the slaughter of approximately 150–300 Lakota individuals by United States Army troops in the area of Wounded Knee Creek in southwestern South Dakota. The massacre was the climax of the U.S. Army’s late 19th-century efforts to repress the Plains peoples. It broke any organized resistance to reservation life and assimilation…
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