**Work in Progress**

Očhéthi Šakówiŋ

Known as the Great Sioux Nation to most Americans, the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (or Council of Seven Fires) was a confederacy of Seven Great Plains Tribes. These seven tribes could be further subdived into three linguistically and regionally based groups.

Lakota/Teton Lakȟóta
Thítȟuŋwaŋ (Teton)

Western Dakota/Yankton-Yanktonai Dakȟóta
Iháŋktȟuŋwaŋ (Yankton)
Iháŋktȟuŋwaŋna (Yanktonai)

Eastern Dakota/Santee-Sisseton Dakȟóta
Bdewákhathuŋwaŋ (Santee)
Waȟpékhute (Santee)
Sisíthuŋwaŋ (Sisseton)
Waȟpéthuŋwaŋ (Sisseton)

Red Cloud’s War (1866 – 1868)

Referred to as the Bozeman War or the Powder River War, this was an armed conflict between the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Northern Arapaho versus the United States. The conflict ended in 1868 with Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho victorious.

Great Sioux Reservation

The Great Sioux Reservation was established in the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 and included all of present day western South Dakota and parts of North Dakota and Nebraska. This area was established by the United States as a reservation for the Lakota, the seven western bands of the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ. Because each band had its own territory, the US established several agencies through the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Black Hills War (1876 – 1877)

After gold was discovered in the Black Hills, settlers began to encroach onto Lakota and Cheyenne territory, who refused to cede ownership. The cause of the war was the desire of the US government to obtain ownership of the Black Hills.

Amoung the many battles and skirmishes of the war was the Battle of the Little Bighorn, the most storied of the many encounters between the US Army and mounted Plains Natives. Despite the Native victory, the US leveraged national resources to force the Natives to surrender, primarily by attacking and destroying encampments and property.

The Black Hills War contrasted sharply with Red Cloud’s War fought a decade earlier. During the 1860’s, Lakota leaders enjoyed wide support from their bands for the fighting. By contrast, in 1876-77, nearly 2/3rds of all Lakota had settled at Indian agencies and did not want to participate in the fighting.

Modern Day Reservations

In 1887, Congress passed the General Allotment Act, also called the Dawes Act to break up communal Indian lands into individual family holdings. On 2 March 1889, Congress passed another act (just months before North Dakota and South Dakota were admitted to the Union on 2 November 1889), which partitioned the Great Sioux Reservation, creating five smaller reservations:

Standing Rock Reservation

Cheyenne River Reservation

Lower Brule Reservation

Rosebud Reservation (or Upper Brule)

Pine Ridge Reservation