| Siouan (61) Sioux Myths (35) |
This is a place you can learn about Siouan cultural tribes, get an understanding of the basic alphabet and discover the rich history. |
Siouan
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Alphabet
a, as in father.
'a, an initially exploded a.
a, as in what, or as o in not.
'a, an initially exploded a.
ae, as in hat.
...
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General Features Of Organization
In the study of the organization of societies, units of different orders
are discovered. Among the tribes of the Siouan family the p...
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Designation And Mode Of Camping
The Dakota call themselves Otceti cakowin (Oceti sakowin(1)), The Seven
Fireplaces or Council-fires. This designation refers to thei...
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The Mdewakantonwan
The Mdewakantonwan were so called from their former habitat, Mdewakan, or
Mysterious lake, commonly called Spirit lake, one of the M...
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The Waqpe-kute
The name waqpe-kute is derived from waqpe (wahpe), leaf, and kute, to
shoot at, and signifies Shooters-among-the-leaves, i.e., among...
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The Waqpe-tonwan Or Wahpeton
The name of this people signifies Yillage-among-the-leaves (of deciduous
trees), the gens being known to the whites as Leaf Village ...
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The Sisitonwan Or Sisseton
It is evident that the Sisseton were formerly in seven divisions, the
Wita-waziyata-otina and the Ohdihe being counted as one; the B...
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The Ihanktonwan Or Yankton
The Yankton and Yanktonai speak the Yankton dialect, which has many words
in common with the Teton.
In 1878 Walking Elk wrote the...
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The Ihanktonwanna Or Yanktonai
The Yanktonai are divided into the Upper and Lower Yanktonai, the latter
being known as the Hunkpatina, Those-camping-at-one-end (or...
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The Titonwan Or Teton
TRIBAL DIVISIONS
The Teton are divided into seven tribes, which were formerly gentes. These
are the Sitcanxu (Sicangu), Itazi...
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The Sitcanxu
The Sitcanxu, Bois Brules or Burned Thighs, are divided locally into (1)
Qeyata-witcaca (Heyata wicasa), People-away-from-the-river,...
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The Itaziptco
The Itaziptco (Itazipco), in full, Itazipa-tcodan (Itazipa-codan),
Without-bows or Sans Arcs, had seven gentes, according to Waanata...
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The Siha-sapa Or Blackfeet
The following are the gentes of the Siha-sapa or Blackfeet as given by
Peji or John Grass, in 1880: 1, Siha-sapa-qtca, Real Blackfee...
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The Minikooju
In 1880 Tatanka-wanbli, or Buffalo-bull Eagle, gave the author the names
of numbers 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8 of the following list of...
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The Oohe-nonpa Or Two Kettles
Of the Oohe-nonpa (Oohe-nonpa), Two Boilings or Two Kettles, Charger knew
the names of only two gentes, which he gave to Reverend H....
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The Oglala
The first list of Oglala gentes was obtained in 1879 from Reverend John
Robinson and confirmed in 1880 by a member of the tribe. The...
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The Hunkpapa
The name Hunkpapa (sometimes corrupted into Uncpapa, Oncpapa, etc), should
be compared with the Yanktonai name Hunkpatina; both refe...
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Dakota Social Customs
Among the eastern Dakota the phratry was never a permanent organization,
but it was resorted to on special occasions and for various...
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The Asiniboin
The Asiniboin were originally part of the Wazi-kute gens of the Yanktonai
(Ihanktonwanna) Dakota. According to the report of E.T. De...
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The Omaha
The gentes keeping the sacred pipes and those having the sacred tents are
designated among the Omaha by appropriate designs. The sac...
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The Ponka
The Ponka tribal circle was divided equally between the Tcinju and Wajaje
half-tribes. To the former belonged two phratries of two g...
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The Quapaw Or Kwapa
When the Kwapa were discovered by the French they dwelt in five villages,
described by the early chroniclers as the Imaha (Imaham, I...
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The Kanze Or Kansa
Among the Omaha the Yata people are those who camp on the yata or left
side of the tribal circle; the Ictunga people, thos...
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The Osage
In the Osage nation there are three primary divisions, which are tribes in
the original acceptation of that term. These are known as...
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The Iowa
The Iowa camping circle was divided into two half-circles, occupied by two
phratries of four gentes each. The first phratry regulate...
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The Oto
The author has not yet learned the exact camping order of the Oto and
Missouri tribes, though he has recorded lists of their gentes ...
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The Ni-u'-t'a-tci Or Missouri
This tribe, which for many years has been consolidated with the Oto, has
at least three gentes. It may have had more, but their name...
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The Hotcangara Or Winnebago
The Winnebago call themselves Ho-tcan'-ga-ra', First or parent speech.
While they have gentes, they have no camping circle, as their...
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The Mandan
The Mandan tribe has not been visited by the author, who must content
himself with giving the list of gentes furnished by Morgan, in...
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The Hidatsa
Our chief authority for the names of the Hidatsa gentes is Morgan's
Ancient Society. Dr Washington Matthews could have furnished a c...
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The Crow Or Absaroka
As this tribe belongs to the Hidatsa linguistic substock, it is very
probable that the social laws and customs of the one people are...
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The Biloxi
The tribal organization of this people has disappeared. When the few
survivors were visited by the author at Lecompte, Louisiana, in...
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The Tutelo
It is impossible to learn whether the Tutelo ever camped in a circle. The
author obtained the following clan names (descent being in...
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The Catawba
Dr A. S. Gatschet, of the Bureau of Ethnology, visited the Catawba tribe
prior to March, 1882, when he obtained an extensive vocabul...
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Extent Of The Stock
Out of some sixty aboriginal stocks or families found in North America
above the Tropic of Cancer, about five-sixths were confined t...
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1 _dakota-asiniboin_
Dakota (Friendly) or Ot´-ce-ti ca-ko-win (Seven council-fires)
confederacy, comprising--
A. Santee, including Mde-wa-kan´-ton-wa...
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2 _cegiha_ (_people Dwelling Here_)(9)
A. Omaha or U-man-han (Upstream people), located on Omaha
reservation, Nebraska, comprising in 1819 (according to James)(10)-...
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3 _{~latin Small Letter Turned T~}{~latin Small Letter Open O~}iwe´re_ (_people Of This Place_)
A. Iowa or Pa-qo-tce (Dusty-heads), chiefly on Great Nemaha
reservation, Kansas and Nebraska, partly on Sac and Fox reserv...
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4 _winnebago_
Winnebago (Algonquian designation, meaning Turbid water people?) or
Ho-tcan-ga-ra (People of the parent speech), mostly on Winnebago
...
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5 _mandan_
Mandan (their own name is questionable; Catlin says they called themselves
See-pohs-kah-nu-mah-kah-kee, People of the pheasants;(13) P...
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8 _monakan_
Monakan confederacy.
A. Monakan (Country [people of?]), ? extinct.
B. Meipontsky (meaning unknown), extinct.
C. ?Mahoc (m...
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9 _catawba Or Ni-ya (people)_
A. Catawba (meaning unknown; they called themselves Ni-ya, Men in the
comprehensive sense), nearly extinct.
B. Woccon (me...
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10 _sara (extinct)_
A. Sara (Tall grass).
B. Keyauwi (meaning unknown).
...
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11 _? Pedee (extinct)_
A. Pedee (meaning unknown).
B. Waccamaw (meaning unknown).
C. Winyaw (meaning unknown).
D. Hooks and Backhooks(?).
Th...
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Tribal Nomenclature
In the Siouan stock, as among the American Indians generally, the accepted
appellations for tribes and other groups are variously de...
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Phonetic And Graphic Arts
The Siouan stock is defined by linguistic characters. The several tribes
and larger and smaller groups speak dialects so closely rel...
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Industrial And Esthetic Arts
Since the arts of primitive people reflect environmental conditions with
close fidelity, and since the Siouan Indians were distribut...
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Institutions
Among civilized peoples, institutions are crystallized in statutes about
nuclei of common law or custom; among peoples in the prescr...
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The Development Of Mythology
As explained by Powell, philosophies and beliefs may be seriated in four
stages: The first stage is hecastotheism; in this stage ext...
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The Siouan Mythology
It was partly through pioneer study of the Siouan Indians that the popular
fallacy concerning the aboriginal Great Spirit gained cur...
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Somatology
The vigorous avocations of the chase and war were reflected in fine
stature, broad and deep chests, strong and clean limbs, and soun...
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Habitat
Excepting the Asiniboin, who are chiefly in Canada, nearly all of the
Siouan Indians are now gathered on the reservations indicated ...
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Organization
The demotic organization of the Siouan peoples, so far as known, is set
forth in considerable detail in Mr Dorsey's treatises(52) an...
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Dakota-asiniboin
The Dakota are mentioned in the Jesuit Relations as early as 1639-40; the
tradition is noted that the Ojibwa, on arriving at the Gre...
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Cegiha
According to tribal traditions collected by Dorsey, the ancestors of the
Omaha, Ponka, Elwapa, Osage, and Kansa were originally one ...
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Toiwe're
The ancestry and prehistoric movements of the tribes constituting this
group are involved in considerable obscurity, though it is kn...
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Winnebago
Linguistically the Winnebago Indians are closely related to the {~LATIN SMALL LETTER TURNED T~}{~LATIN SMALL LETTER OPEN O~}iwe're
o...
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Mandan
The Mandan had a vague tradition of emigration from the eastern part of
the country, and Lewis and Clark, Prince Maximilian, and oth...
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Hidatsa
There has been much confusion concerning the definition and designation of
the Hidatsa Indians. They were formerly known as Minitari...
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The Eastern And Southern Tribes
The history of the Monakan, Oatawba, Sara, Pedee, and Santee, and
incidentally that of the Biloxi, has been carefully reviewed in a ...
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Some Features Of Indian Sociology
As shown by Powell, there are two fundamentally distinct classes or stages
in human society--(1) tribal society and (2) national soc...
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Sioux Myths
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The Forgotten Ear Of Corn
An Arikara woman was once gathering corn from the field to store away
for winter use. She passed from stalk to stalk, tearing off the ...
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The Little Mice
Once upon a time a prairie mouse busied herself all fall storing away a
cache of beans. Every morning she was out early with her empty...
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The Pet Rabbit
A little girl owned a pet rabbit which she loved dearly. She carried it
on her back like a babe, made for it a little pair of moccasin...
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The Pet Donkey
There was a chief's daughter once who had a great many relations so that
everybody knew she belonged to a great family.
When she gr...
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The Rabbit And The Elk
The little rabbit lived with his old grandmother, who needed a new
dress. "I will go out and trap a deer or an elk for you," he said. ...
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The Rabbit And The Grouse Girls
The rabbit once went out on the prairie in winter time. On the side of a
hill away from the wind he found a great company of girls all...
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The Faithful Lovers
There once lived a chief's daughter who had many relations. All the
young men in the village wanted to have her for wife, and were all...
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The Artichoke And The Muskrat
On the shore of a lake stood an artichoke with its green leaves waving
in the sun. Very proud of itself it was, and well satisfied wit...
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The Rabbit And The Bear With The Flint Body
The Rabbit and his grandmother were in dire straits, because the rabbit
was out of arrows. The fall hunt would soon be on and his quiv...
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Story Of The Lost Wife
A Dakota girl married a man who promised to treat her kindly, but he did
not keep his word. He was unreasonable, fault-finding, and of...
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The Raccoon And The Crawfish
Sharp and cunning is the raccoon, say the Indians, by whom he is named
Spotted Face.
A crawfish one evening wandered along a river ...
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Legend Of Standing Rock
A Dakota had married an Arikara woman, and by her had one child. By and
by he took another wife. The first wife was jealous and pouted...
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Story Of The Peace Pipe
Two young men were out strolling one night talking of love affairs. They
passed around a hill and came to a little ravine or coulee. S...
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A Bashful Courtship
A young man lived with his grandmother. He was a good hunter and wished
to marry. He knew a girl who was a good moccasin maker, but sh...
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The Simpleton's Wisdom
There was a man and his wife who had one daughter. Mother and daughter
were deeply attached to one another, and when the latter died t...
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A Little Brave And The Medicine Woman
A village of Indians moved out of winter camp and pitched their tents
in a circle on high land overlooking a lake. A little way down t...
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The Bound Children
There once lived a widow with two children--the elder a daughter and the
younger a son. The widow went in mourning for her husband a l...
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The Signs Of Corn
When corn is to be planted by the Indians, it is the work of the women
folk to see to the sorting and cleaning of the best seed. It is...
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Story Of The Rabbits
The Rabbit nation were very much depressed in spirits on account of
being run over by all other nations. They, being very obedient to ...
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How The Rabbit Lost His Tail
Once upon a time there were two brothers, one a great Genie and the
other a rabbit. Like all genie, the older could change himself int...
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Unktomi And The Arrowheads
There were once upon a time two young men who were very great friends,
and were constantly together. One was a very thoughtful young m...
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The Bear And The Rabbit Hunt Buffalo
Once upon a time there lived as neighbors, a bear and a rabbit. The
rabbit was a good shot, and the bear being very clumsy could not u...
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The Hermit Or The Gift Of Corn
In a deep forest, far from the villages of his people, lived a hermit.
His tent was made of buffalo skins, and his dress was made of d...
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The Mysterious Butte
A young man was once hunting and came to a steep hill. The east side
of the hill suddenly dropped off to a very steep bank. He stood o...
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The Wonderful Turtle
Near to a Chippewa village lay a large lake, and in this lake there
lived an enormous turtle. This was no ordinary turtle, as he would...
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The Man And The Oak
There once lived a Sioux couple who had two children, a boy and a girl.
Every fall this family would move away from the main camp and ...
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Story Of The Two Young Friends
There were once in a very large Indian camp two little boys who were
fast friends. One of the boys, "Chaske" (meaning first born), was...
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The Story Of The Pet Crow
Once upon a time there came to a large village a plague of crows. So
thick were they that the poor women were sorely tried keeping the...
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The Wasna Pemmican Man And The Unktomi Spider
Once upon a time there appeared from out of a large belt of timber a
man attired in the fat of the buffalo. On his head he wore the ho...
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The Resuscitation Of The Only Daughter
There once lived an old couple who had an only daughter. She was a
beautiful girl, and was very much courted by the young men of the
...
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The Story Of The Pet Crane
There was once upon a time a man who did not care to live with his tribe
in a crowded village, but preferred a secluded spot in the de...
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White Plume
There once lived a young couple who were very happy. The young man was
noted throughout the whole nation for his accuracy with the bow...
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Story Of Pretty Feathered Forehead
There was once a baby boy who came into the world with a small cluster
of different colored feathers grown fast to his forehead. From ...
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The Four Brothers Or Inyanhoksila Stone Boy
Alone and apart from their tribe dwelt four orphan brothers. They had
erected a very comfortable hut, although the materials used were...
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The Unktomi Spider Two Widows And The Red Plums
There once lived, in a remote part of a great forest, two widowed
sisters, with their little babies. One day there came to their tent
...
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