Native American: Sioux (Lakota)

Our next “country” is the culture of the Sioux, or Lakota. This Native American tribe calls themselves Lakota or Dakota, which means “friend or ally”. Other Native American tribes called them a word (nadewisou, or snakes) that sounded like “soo” to the French traders that met them, so we also know this tribe as the Sioux (pronounced “soo”). The original Lakota/Sioux homelands were in what is now Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North and South Dakota. The Sioux traveled freely, however, and they also lived in what is now Iowa, Nebraska, Montana, and northern Illinois, and in south-central Canada. Today, most Sioux people live in the Dakotas, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Saskatchewan.

Cultural and Historical Facts

The Sioux were part of the Plains Indians, who lived in the area from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from Canada to Mexico. The most important tribes of the Plains Indians were the Sioux, Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Crow, Kiowa, and Comanche.

Fast Facts about the Sioux/Lakota

Landmarks/Climate:

The Plains area was hotter than 100 degrees in the summer, and could drop to 40 degrees below zero with heavy snows in the winter. The region was so dry that when it rained it often flooded. The rolling land was covered with grassland and a few mountains. The Black Hills were high and steep. Few Native Americans lived on the Great Plains before white men brought the horse in the 1600’s.

Animals:

Parts of the buffalo used by the Sioux

Animals were important to the Native Americans, and often they would show respect to the spirit of the animals by dances, songs, and stories.  Some of the animals that were especially important to the Sioux were:

• Turtle
• Buffalo
• Deer
• Elk
• Bear
• Grey Wolf
• Eagle

The buffalo was very valuable to the Plains people. The buffalo meat was dried and mixed with marrow and fruit to become a food that would keep for long periods of time. The Sioux used hides to make ropes, shields, and clothing. The teepee was also made from the buffalo hide. Sinew or muscle was used to make bowstrings, moccasins, and bags. The bones were used to make hoes and runners for dog sleds. The horns were made into utensils such as a spoon, cup, or bowl. Even the hair could be made into rope.

A parfleche was used by the Plains people to carry their possessions. It was made from a buffalo hide. The hide was cut into a large rectangular shape. Belongings were placed on the center of the hide. Next the hide was folded like and envelope and tied with rawhide straps. The parfleche was made waterproof by covering it with glue made by boiling the tails of beavers.

Food:

The Sioux hunted buffalo and other game such as elk and antelope. To capture them they would surround the herd or use fire to try to stampede the herds off cliffs or into areas where they could be killed more easily. Life for the Sioux was much easier after horses. They hunted with bows and arrows even after the European traders brought guns. They hunted all year long. Because the buffalo was so plentiful, the Sioux hunters were not limited in the number of buffalo they killed. The buffalo was roasted over a fire, dried in the sun and made into jerky, and made into pemmican. Pemmican was made by pounding dried meat into powder and mixing it with melted fat and berries. The Sioux ate berries, cherries, wild greens, camas roots, and wild prairie turnip with the meat.

Homes:

Before white men came to America most of the Plains people lived along the rivers and streams where the land was fertile. In their villages the Indians lived in earth lodges. They were made of frames of logs covered with brush and dirt. When hunting, the Sioux lived in teepees. Occasionally they built wigwams. The wigwams protected the teepee from rotting. The wigwam was used to store food. To build the teepee, the women took long poles and stuck them in the ground in the form of a circle. They leaned the poles together at the top. The poles were fastened with hides. The poles were covered with buffalo hides.  Two longer poles were attached to the top corners. They were used to remove the smoke from the fire. The teepee opening always faced east. The outside of the teepee was decorated with paintings of animals, stars, or other objects. The Plains Indians had little furniture. Their beds were made from buffalo robes, skins with the hair left on. They also had back rests. Food, clothes, and belongings were stored in parfleches. A parfleche was a strong pouch made of buffalo hide.

Religion:

The Plains people believed in the Great Spirit. They believed the Great Spirit had power over all things, including animals, trees, stones, and clouds. The earth was believed to be the mother of all spirits. The sun had great power also because it gave the earth light and warmth. The Sioux prayed individually and in groups. They believed visions in dreams came from the spirits. The medicine man or shaman was trained in healing the sick and interpreting signs and dreams.

• Vision Quests
  • When a boy became a man he would seek a spirit that would protect him for the rest of his life. First the boy went into the sweat lodge. Inside the lodge, stones were heated and then water was poured over the stones to produce steam. The boy prayed as the hot steam purified his body. After the sweat lodge the boy jumped into cold water. Next he was taken to a remote place and left without food and water. The boy wore only his breechclout and moccasins. For the next three or four days the boy prayed for a special vision. The men of the tribe came to help the boy back to the camp. After cleaning up and eating the boy was taken to the shaman who interpreted his vision. Sometimes the boy was given an adult name taken from the vision. After the shaman interpreted the dream the village had a feast to celebrate the boy becoming a man.
  • The Sun Dance
    • The Sun Dance was a very important ceremony among the Plains people. It lasted for several days. Before the ceremony the men would fast (not eat any food for a set amount of time, maybe a day). The camp was set up in a circle of teepees. A tree was cut and set up in the center of the space to be used for the dance. Ropes made of hair or leather thongs were fastened to the top of the pole. Men tied these ropes to sticks which were stuck through the skin of their chests or backs. The men danced, gazing at the sun, whistling through pipes, and pulling back on the ropes until the sticks tore through the skin.

Games/Art:

Sioux children did the same things any children do—play with each other, go to school and help around the house. Many Sioux children liked to go hunting and fishing with their fathers. In the past, Sioux children had more chores and less time to play, just like early colonists’ children. But they did have dolls and toys to play with, and older boys in some bands liked to play lacrosse. Sioux mothers, like many Native Americans, traditionally carried their babies in cradleboards on their backs–a custom which many American parents have adopted now.

Games:

Types of games played by boys included:

• the bull roarer
• cactus buffalo
• a pop gun
• a top
• two whirling bone game pieces
• a slingshot

Games for girls and women included:

• the plum pit game
• the game of bowls

Both girls and boys enjoyed sleds made of buffalo ribs.

All people played catching deer bones with a needle, but only women played it in formal competition and for betting. It consists of a long pin that was held in one hand and a set of deer bones and beaded loops that are held in the other hand. The player swings the set of bones and beads in the air and then attempts to catch them with the pin.

Art:

Sioux women are known for their quillwork and beadwork, and the men are known for their elaborate buffalo-hide and animal-skull paintings. Sioux artists also make pottery, parfleche, and ceremonial calumets (pipes carved from catlinite.)

Some of the Sioux Tribe has branched out into working with metals and other materials. Jewelry making goes back many years as people can still find ancient beads on the reservations.

The artists of the Plains used buffalo hides for their artwork. The hides were made into clothing, houses, beds, shields, belts, moccasins, and folded envelopes used for storage called parfleches. These objects were painted or beaded in geometric patterns. Stripes, diamonds, crosses, arrows, hour-glass shapes, thunderbirds, stars and hunting scenes were often used.

Clothing:

The women made their clothing from buffalo hides and deerskin. Boys wore nothing until the age of 10 then they began wearing breech clouts. A breech clout was a deerskin stretched between the legs and fastened to by a leather belt in the back and the front. In cold weather the men put on robes and high boots made from buffalo hides. The young girls wore breech clouts. When they reached adolescence they began wearing loosely-fitting, long-sleeved dresses stitched together with deerskin and decorated with fringe, beads, and small pieces of metal.

Both men and women painted their bodies, faces, and scalps with brightly colored paints made from clay and juices of berries and fruits. The men pierced their ears. Men wore their hair long and separated it into two braids that were decorated with strips of fur, leather, or a single feather. The women cut their hair much shorter than the men.

Vocabulary Words (Siouan):

• Hello — Hau (if you are a man), Hahng (if you are a woman)
• Thank you — Yé (if you are a man), Iché (if you are a woman)
• Good-bye — Tóksa akhé
• Peace — Wolakota
• Please — Philámayaye
• Music — Wanahotonyapi

About the Music:

Powwow songs are created and performed for different events such as grand entries, dance categories and honoring ceremonies. While they differ in tempo (speed), words and emotions, all powwow songs follow a similar structure. Among the Dakota, traditional dance songs generally begin on a high note, led by a soloist who sings a phrase that is then repeated by a group. This phrase then swings to a lower pitch until there is a brief pause. The second part of the song often includes “honor beats”, usually in the form of four beats representing cannon fire in battle. The entire song may be repeated several times, depending on the lead singer. Singers are not judged by the sweetness of their voices. The sound is produced at the back of an open mouth and throat. Women sing an octave higher and sometimes join the men. Women may “trill” at special places in the song to indicate deep emotion such as joy or appreciation of the song.

About the Artist and Song:

The Porcupine Singers are a Northern Plains style traditional Lakota singing group centered in Porcupine, South Dakota, and one of the greatest groups of Native American voices. The Porcupine Singers are a famous group among the Lakota people and all of Native America. Their singing and commitment to Lakota culture inspires countless young people to explore and sustain their culture through traditional ways.

The song you will hear is an honor song for Native American veterans, or soldiers who have returned from war.  Honor songs are requested to honor a person such as a returning son or a deceased relative or people or for almost any occasion. A drum from the honored person’s home or a favorite may be requested.

Veterans are well-honored in the tribes. They are flag-bearers and retrieve dropped eagle feathers.  This respect for veterans is an important part of Native American culture from the time when the welfare of the village depended on the fighting men. To be a warrior was a man’s purpose in life. Veterans were honored because they were willing to give their lives so people could live. In some tribes bravery is honored as one of the four virtues: generosity, wisdom, fortitude and bravery.

Listen to the song and look at the lyrics.  Tell in the comment box what you think about the song — what instruments do you hear? what does the song make you think of? Have you heard something like this before? Would you listen to a song like this again? Remember to answer all four questions in the comment box!

Lakota Flag Song/Veterans’ Song

Write two paragraphs in reaction to the music, the information about the Sioux, and the pictures in the post.  Tell about any interesting things you learned and what you think about the Sioux as a culture.  As always, you can earn up to five bonus points for defining words you don’t know and using them in a sentence. This assignment is due Wednesday, March 28.  This is the end of the quarter (Thursday, Mar. 29), so make sure you get all your assignments in!