Famous Chiefs Of The Sioux

The great Sioux nation was the structure of the tribes who were known generally as the Sioux. Most of the people speaking a form of the Siouan language were members of what was known as the seven fire councils.

These seven members can be grouped into three regional groups.
These being the Lakota, Western Dakota and Eastern Dakota.

However the members of these three groups were still known by their original tribal names.
The exact division of all the tribes of the Sioux nation is a fairly complex one and is not really what this book is about, or it's purpose.

With that in mind I will be content to just give an overview of what are known as the Sioux and do not intend to go into their history or their culture, before we move onto some of their great chiefs.

The name Sioux is an abbreviation of the word Nadowessious which meant little snakes, or enemies.
This name was applied to them by other tribes who were fearful of the Sioux.

These other tribes were often driven out of their territory losing hunting rights as well as a place to live.
The Sioux lived in the northern great plains, in lands that are today the states of North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota.

Most of the tribes were nomadic and moved from place to place following the herds of bison, on which they depended for food and warm robes.
They lived mostly in tepees, made from long wooden poles covered in bison hides.

These tepees could be taken down and put up again quickly and were ideal for moving from place to place.
They would often supplement their diet of meat with wild vegetables such as turnips and potatoes, flavoured with herbs.

The Sioux men were noted for their warrior culture and warfare against other tribes and white settlers played a big part in the way they lived.

Some of the names of the great Sioux chiefs are well known, others not so well known. The names included in this book are by no means an exhaustive list, but are probably some of the better known. All were members of what was to become known as the great Sioux nation.