The Dakota Sioux Indians of the Great

PlainsBy: Safia Abdalla

Greetings! I am Duta Keya (Red Turtle), a young girl from the

Dakota tribe of the Great Plains. I live in a tepee

with my family: my mother, father, and four

brothers. What's that you say you would like to find

out more. Well come along then.

Begin the Tour

I am from the Dakota Sioux tribe of the Great Plains. My people have lived on the land that we call Dakota for a long time. I am a Winyan and it is my

responsibility to grow up and take care of my family. Everyday I get up early in the morning, and pray to the

Gods of the Wi and Hanwi. But enough about me what would you like to learn

about?The Dakota Sioux LifestyleThe Dakota Sioux HomesThe Dakota Sioux Food

The Dakota Sioux ReligionThe Dakota Sioux Peoples' Roles

The Dakota Sioux Dress

The Dakota LifestyleTo understand the Dakota lifestyle, you must know who the Dakota Sioux are first. There are many groups of the Sioux tribes. We have different dialects so some of us call each other Lakota or Dakota or Nakota. But we are all part of the same culture, we just have different dialects.

To see more click on the picture to the right.......

My people depend greatly on buffalo. We follow the buffalo everywhere. The white men call us nomads because we do this. Father says that this means that they believe we move around with our food source.

But the buffalo are not only our food source but they are also our source of shelter and clothing. But we also depend on plants for food. To know which plant grows when we have created a system of months.

To learn more click here

What My People Do

Hunt For Wealth The men in my tribe can

gain wealth and power only if they are excellent hunters. My father is the brother of the chief, but he is a terrible hunter. When the chief isn't aware people male fun of my mother. However, my father is an excellent stone worker he can make very good strong and durable bow and arrows.

Every summer by Uncle, the Chief, and several other men go to the summer council to decide on important events and to participate in the Sun Dance.

To continue click on the design to the right.......

Government

Each village has a council consisting of a chief and all the adult men of the village as members of the council. These village counsels made tribal councils. A tribal council usually consists of 3-5 villages. Each tribal council has one chief.

The Seven Fires Council has the top position of government that governs all of the Sioux Nation. The Council is made of seven tribal chiefs. In all these situations women have no say to participate in government.

That was interesting. What would you like to learn

about now?The Dakota Sioux HomesThe Dakota Sioux Food

The Dakota Sioux ReligionThe Dakota Sioux People's Roles

The Dakota Sioux DressI have learned enough......

The Dakota Sioux Homes My people live in the

states that the White Men call Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North and South Dakota. My people live in large cone-shaped buildings called tepees. Tepees have a wooden frame on the inside and are covered

with buffalo hide. Tepees ate especially useful to my people because we migrate a lot and we need to have homes that we can quickly take up and put down. In fact, tepees are so easy to move that when the people of my village need to move we can pack in less than an hour.

Click here to see pictures of tepees....

Wow! We learned a lot what would you like to

learn about now?Dakota Sioux Lifestyle

Dakota Sioux FoodDakota Sioux Religion

Dakota Sioux People's RolesDakota Sioux Dress

That's totally enough for me...

The Roles of the Peoples The Sioux people of my

tribe have excellent warriors, powerful hunters, and skilled artisans. The roles are divided into our society so everyone has a role that they take up depending on who they are.

To see more click on the picture to the left....

Roles of the Men

The men of my tribe must act as the protectors and the providers of the tribe. A man is responsible if his family is attacked or hurt. Men are also responsible for passing down the ways of hunting to the boys of the tribe.

Click on the picture to the left to learn more....

Roles of the Women

Women, like my mother, are responsible for the home. They must cook and provide clothing for the children, men, and for themselves Women are also very skilled artisans and can make wonderful things with their hands.

Click on the image to the right to see more....

Roles of the Children

Children, like me, have the duty of completing their chores and learning the ways of the Sioux. It is the duty of our elders to teach us these things and it is our job to learn and understand them.

Well that is all click on the picture to the left to learn something else...

Let's see what haven't we learned about yet...Dakota Sioux LifestyleDakota Sioux HomesDakota Sioux Dress

Dakota Sioux ReligionDakota Sioux Food

I know all I need to......

What Do We Eat? The people of my

tribe mostly eat meat. Most of the meat consists of buffalo, but we also eat elk and deer. We cook our meat inside pits over fire. Whatever that is not eaten is hung up to dry in the sun to be eaten later. Sometimes we also dry it and pound it .

until it is ground and can be eaten. We also eat fruits and berries. Some of these include cherries, potatoes, corn, and different kinds of fruits. My favorite treat would have to be jerky. It's dried buffalo meat and it is delicious.

I love teaching you so many new things. What do you want to learn about now.

Dakota Sioux DressDakota Sioux LifestyleDakota Sioux Religion

Dakota Sioux Peoples' RolesDakota Sioux Homes

That's enough......

The Sioux Womens' Best Outfit

Everyone is always interested about how my people dress. Our clothing customs are very traditional. Women usually wear dresses that reach the knees and leggings that reach the ankles. Our dresses and hair are decorated with fur or feathers. We usually wear bead necklaces. They usually were their hair into two or four braids.

Click on the picture to the left to see how the men the dress...

The Sioux Three-Piece Suit

The men of the tribe usually wear pants made from buffalo, elk, or deer skin. They decorate their pants with different kinds of dyes. Beaded clothing are only used for special occasions, like festivals.

Click on the picture to the left to continue

This is really fun. What haven't I taught you yet?

Dakota Sioux LifestyleDakota Sioux Religion

Dakota Sioux FoodDakota Sioux Homes

Dakota Sioux Peoples' RolesNo more please.....

Our Beliefs

My people believe that the universe is not understandable. Things like time, death, and life are mysterious to us. We call these things Wakan. Humans were formed in the womb of Mother Earth. Everyone has their own spirit but we all

share a common spirit that connects us together. The dances and ceremonies we hold are held in order to calm the anger of the wakan powers or spirits.

Click here to see pictures of ceremonies being held

What did you not learn about?

Dakota Sioux LifestyleDakota Sioux DressDakota Sioux Food

Dakota Sioux HomesDakota Sioux Peoples' Roles

Take me to the end.....

The EndWell, that is pretty much it. To learn more about us you have to actually come and explore, but this is all I can tell you here. Amba! Amba!

(Bye! Bye!)