Oglala Lakota
Encyclopedia
The Oglala Lakota or Oglala Sioux ' onMouseout='HidePop("26706")' href="/topics/Lakota_language">Lakota language
) are one of the seven subtribes of the Lakota people; along with the Nakota
and Dakota
, they make up the Great Sioux Nation
. A majority of the Oglala live on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
in South Dakota
, the eighth-largest Native American reservation
in the United States. The Oglala are a federally recognized tribe whose official title is the Oglala Sioux Tribe of the Pine Ridge Reservation.
, another Lakota band, and three other Sioux bands, formed the Sioux Alliance. This Alliance attacked surrounding tribes for territorial and hunting reasons.
of the tribe. The men were usually the chief
s for political affairs, war leaders and warriors, and hunters. Women are and always have been highly regarded and respected in the tribe
. The Lakota are matrilineal and children belong to the mother's clan
. Chiefs were selected based on the mother's clan. Women controlled the food, resources and movable property. When a man married, he went to live with his wife with her people. They could support her in childbearing and rearing and, if the couple separated, she would not be away from her people. This also helped control the men's behavior toward women. The women elders of the clan were highly respected and had to approve the selection of chiefs of the clans. If they withdrew their support, a man could not continue as chief. Both genders were equal in decisions and power.
households. The women were critical to the family's life: they made almost everything the family and tribe used. They cultivated and processed a variety of crops; prepared the food; prepared game and fish caught by the men; worked skins to make clothing and footwear, as well as storage bags, the covering of tipis, and other items.
Beyond the family was the clan. Inheritance of clan chief positions and the composition of the clans was matrilineal: only the males born to the clan could be life chiefs of it. Within the clan, relatives whom Europeans and Americans would call cousins were considered, and identified by titles, equivalent to brothers and sisters. Because of the importance of the clan, a boy's maternal uncle, rather than his father, would often be the most influential male figure in his life. The uncle would integrate the boy into the clan's male society.
.
Writing in 1875, Dr. John J. Saville, the US Indian agent
at the Red Cloud Agency
, noted that the Oglala tribe was divided into three main bands: the Kiyuksa, the Oyuhpe and the head band or True Oglala. "Each of these bands are subdivided into smaller parties, variously named, usually designated by the name of their chief or leader."
In the years immediately following the Fort Laramie Treaty
of 1868, these bands became increasingly polarized as they and their leaders struggled with decisions relating to the continued American encroachment on their territory. Some bands chose to come in to the Indian agencies (forerunner to the reservations), where they received beef and other rations from the U.S. government. Other bands decided to remain out, attempting to continue the traditional lifeways for as long as possible. Many bands moved between these two extremes, coming in to the agencies during the winter and joining their relatives in the north each spring. These challenges further split the various Oglala bands.
Just prior to confinement on the reservations, the Oglala bands included:
Oyúȟpe Thiyóšpaye
Oglála Thiyóšpaye
Khiyáksa Thiyóšpaye
was broken up into five portions, the Red Cloud Agency
was relocated in 1878 and renamed the Pine Ridge Reservation. By 1890, the reservation included 5,537 people, divided into a number of districts that include some 30 distinct communities.
The Rosebud Indian Reservation
also includes enrolled Oglala Lakota members.
First used in 1961, this flag was approved by the Oglala Sioux Triba OST Council on March 9, 1962 as the official flag of the Oglala Sioux Tribe (OST).
The circle of eight teepees on the flag represent the nine districts of the reservation: Porcupine, Wakpamni, Medicine Root, Pass Creek, Eagle Nest, White Clay, LaCreek, Wounded Knee, and Pine Ridge. The red field represents the blood shed by the tribe in defense of their lands and an allegorical reference to the term "red man," by which they were referred to by European Americans. The blue represents the sky, as seen in all four cardinal directions during the worship of the Great Spirit
, and the elements. It also represents the Lakota spiritual concept of heaven or “the happy hunting ground" to which departed tribal members go.
Warriors-military
Artists
Lakota language
Lakota is a Siouan language spoken by the Lakota people of the Sioux tribes. While generally taught and considered by speakers as a separate language, Lakota is mutually understandable with the other two languages , and is considered by most linguists one of the three major varieties of the Sioux...
) are one of the seven subtribes of the Lakota people; along with the Nakota
Nakota
The term Nakota is the endonym used by the native peoples of North America who usually go by the name of Assiniboine , in the United States, and of Stoney, in Canada....
and Dakota
Dakota
- Ethnology and linguistics :* Sioux sub-tribes:**Eastern Dakota**Western Dakota* Dakota language, either of two regional varieties of the Sioux language- Geography :United States*North Dakota, a state*South Dakota, a state* Dakota, Illinois, a village...
, they make up the Great Sioux Nation
Great Sioux Nation
The Great Sioux Nation is a general term sometimes applied to the Sioux. The Great Sioux Nation is divided into three linguistically and regionally based groups and several subgroups:# Lakota...
. A majority of the Oglala live on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is an Oglala Sioux Native American reservation located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Originally included within the territory of the Great Sioux Reservation, Pine Ridge was established in 1889 in the southwest corner of South Dakota on the Nebraska border...
in South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, the eighth-largest Native American reservation
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
in the United States. The Oglala are a federally recognized tribe whose official title is the Oglala Sioux Tribe of the Pine Ridge Reservation.
History
The Oglala Lakota, along with the six other groups of Lakota, had separated from each other by the early 19th century. By 1830, the Oglala had around 3,000 members. In the 1820s and 1830s, the Oglala, along with the BruléBrulé
The Brulé are one of the seven branches or bands of the Teton Lakota Sioux American Indian nation. They are known as Sičháŋǧu Oyáte , or "Burnt Thighs Nation," and so, were called Brulé by the French...
, another Lakota band, and three other Sioux bands, formed the Sioux Alliance. This Alliance attacked surrounding tribes for territorial and hunting reasons.
Gender roles
Typically, in the Oglala Lakota society, the men are in charge of the politicsPolitics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
of the tribe. The men were usually the chief
Tribal chief
A tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies with social stratification under a single leader emerged in the Neolithic period out of earlier tribal structures with little stratification, and they remained prevalent throughout the Iron Age.In the case of ...
s for political affairs, war leaders and warriors, and hunters. Women are and always have been highly regarded and respected in the tribe
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
. The Lakota are matrilineal and children belong to the mother's clan
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...
. Chiefs were selected based on the mother's clan. Women controlled the food, resources and movable property. When a man married, he went to live with his wife with her people. They could support her in childbearing and rearing and, if the couple separated, she would not be away from her people. This also helped control the men's behavior toward women. The women elders of the clan were highly respected and had to approve the selection of chiefs of the clans. If they withdrew their support, a man could not continue as chief. Both genders were equal in decisions and power.
Traditional culture
Family is of utmost importance to the Oglala Lakota, with loyalty to the tribe coming in close second. Each family had one or more tipiTipi
A tipi is a Lakota name for a conical tent traditionally made of animal skins and wooden poles used by the nomadic tribes and sedentary tribal dwellers of the Great Plains...
households. The women were critical to the family's life: they made almost everything the family and tribe used. They cultivated and processed a variety of crops; prepared the food; prepared game and fish caught by the men; worked skins to make clothing and footwear, as well as storage bags, the covering of tipis, and other items.
Beyond the family was the clan. Inheritance of clan chief positions and the composition of the clans was matrilineal: only the males born to the clan could be life chiefs of it. Within the clan, relatives whom Europeans and Americans would call cousins were considered, and identified by titles, equivalent to brothers and sisters. Because of the importance of the clan, a boy's maternal uncle, rather than his father, would often be the most influential male figure in his life. The uncle would integrate the boy into the clan's male society.
Bands
Each of the twenty tribes were subdivided into bands (tiyospaye), which consisted of a number of smaller family camps (tiwahe). During parts of the year, the small camps were scattered across the region; at other times, these camps gathered together as a thiyóšpaye to cooperate on activities such as a large buffalo hunt. Each summer, usually in early June, bands from many groups gathered together for the annual sacred Sun DanceSun Dance
The Sun Dance is a religious ceremony practiced by a number of Native American and First Nations peoples, primarily those of the Plains Nations. Each tribe has its own distinct practices and ceremonial protocols...
.
Writing in 1875, Dr. John J. Saville, the US Indian agent
Indian agent
In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with Native American tribes on behalf of the U.S. government.-Indian agents:*Leander Clark was agent for the Sac and Fox in Iowa beginning in 1866....
at the Red Cloud Agency
Red Cloud Agency
The Red Cloud Agency was an Indian agency for the Oglala Lakota as well as the Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho, from 1871 to 1878. It was located at three different sites in Wyoming Territory , before being moved to South Dakota. It was then renamed the Pine Ridge Reservation.- Red Cloud Agency No...
, noted that the Oglala tribe was divided into three main bands: the Kiyuksa, the Oyuhpe and the head band or True Oglala. "Each of these bands are subdivided into smaller parties, variously named, usually designated by the name of their chief or leader."
In the years immediately following the Fort Laramie Treaty
Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868)
The Treaty of Fort Laramie was an agreement between the United States and the Oglala, Miniconjou, and Brulé bands of Lakota people, Yanktonai Dakota, and Arapaho Nation signed in 1868 at Fort Laramie in the Wyoming Territory, guaranteeing to the Lakota ownership of the Black Hills, and further...
of 1868, these bands became increasingly polarized as they and their leaders struggled with decisions relating to the continued American encroachment on their territory. Some bands chose to come in to the Indian agencies (forerunner to the reservations), where they received beef and other rations from the U.S. government. Other bands decided to remain out, attempting to continue the traditional lifeways for as long as possible. Many bands moved between these two extremes, coming in to the agencies during the winter and joining their relatives in the north each spring. These challenges further split the various Oglala bands.
Just prior to confinement on the reservations, the Oglala bands included:
Oyúȟpe Thiyóšpaye
- True Oyúȟpe (Big Road's band). Other members include: Black ElkBlack ElkHeȟáka Sápa was a famous Wičháša Wakȟáŋ of the Oglala Lakota . He was Heyoka and a second cousin of Crazy Horse.-Life:...
- Wakȟáŋ
- Makȟáiču (Red Dog's band)
Oglála Thiyóšpaye
- Čhaŋkȟahuȟaŋ (He DogHe DogHe Dog . A member of the Oglala Lakota, He Dog was closely associated with Crazy Horse during the Great Sioux War of 1876-77.-Biography:...
's band). Other members include: Short BullGrant Short BullGrant Short Bull . Member of Soreback Band, Oglala Lakota, and participant in the Battle of the Little Bighorn...
; Amos Bad Heart BullAmos Bad Heart BullAmos Bad Heart Bull was a noted Oglala Lakota artist in a style which adapted traditional Native American pictography to a new European style medium known as Ledger Art for the accountants ledger books they were originally done in...
. - Hokayuta (Black Twin's band)
- Húŋkpathila (Little HawkLittle HawkLittle Hawk , , Oglala Lakota War Chief and a half brother of Worm, father of Crazy Horse . In the Lakota extended family scheme, Crazy Horse was thus a son of Little Hawk....
and Crazy HorseCrazy HorseCrazy Horse was a Native American war leader of the Oglala Lakota. He took up arms against the U.S...
's band) - Itéšiča (Red CloudRed CloudRed Cloud , was a war leader and the head Chief of the Oglala Lakota . His reign was from 1868 to 1909...
's band) - Payabya (Young Man Afraid of His HorsesYoung Man Afraid Of His HorsesYoung-Man-Afraid-Of-His-Horses [Tȟašúŋke Kȟokípȟapi] , also translated as His-Horses-Are-Afraid and They-Fear-Even-His-Horses, was a chief of the Oglala Sioux...
's band) - Waglúȟe (Blue Horse, American HorseAmerican HorseWašíčuŋ Tȟašúŋke or American Horse was a chieftain of the Oglala Lakota during the Sioux Wars of the 1870s. He was also the nephew of the elder American Horse and son-in-law of Red Cloud....
and Three Bear's bands)
Khiyáksa Thiyóšpaye
- Kuinyan (Little WoundLittle WoundLittle Wound b.ca 1835 - d winter 1899, Oglala Lakota chief. Following the death of his brother Bull Bear II in 1865 he became leader of the Kuinyan branch of the Kiyuksa band...
's band) - Tȟaphíšleča (Yellow BearYellow Bear-The First Yellow Bear:The first Yellow Bear was a prominent headman among the Tapisleca Tiyospaye , one of the major divisions of the southern Oglala Lakota. He accompanied the first Oglala delegation to Washington, D.C. in 1870. By the following year, Colonel John E...
's band)
On the reservation
After being moved several times during the 1870s after the Great Sioux ReservationGreat Sioux reservation
The Great Sioux Reservation was established in the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, and includes all of modern western South Dakota and modern Boyd County, Nebraska...
was broken up into five portions, the Red Cloud Agency
Red Cloud Agency
The Red Cloud Agency was an Indian agency for the Oglala Lakota as well as the Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho, from 1871 to 1878. It was located at three different sites in Wyoming Territory , before being moved to South Dakota. It was then renamed the Pine Ridge Reservation.- Red Cloud Agency No...
was relocated in 1878 and renamed the Pine Ridge Reservation. By 1890, the reservation included 5,537 people, divided into a number of districts that include some 30 distinct communities.
The Rosebud Indian Reservation
Rosebud Indian Reservation
The Rosebud Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in South Dakota, United States. It is the home of the federally recognized Sicangu Oyate, also known as Sicangu Lakota, the Upper Brulé Sioux Nation, and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe , a branch of the Lakota people...
also includes enrolled Oglala Lakota members.
Oglala flag
The circle of eight teepees on the flag represent the nine districts of the reservation: Porcupine, Wakpamni, Medicine Root, Pass Creek, Eagle Nest, White Clay, LaCreek, Wounded Knee, and Pine Ridge. The red field represents the blood shed by the tribe in defense of their lands and an allegorical reference to the term "red man," by which they were referred to by European Americans. The blue represents the sky, as seen in all four cardinal directions during the worship of the Great Spirit
Great Spirit
The Great Spirit, also called Wakan Tanka among the Sioux, the Creator or the Great Maker in English, and Gitchi Manitou in Algonquian, is a conception of a supreme being prevalent among some Native American and First Nations cultures...
, and the elements. It also represents the Lakota spiritual concept of heaven or “the happy hunting ground" to which departed tribal members go.
Notable Oglala
Leaders- Crazy HorseCrazy HorseCrazy Horse was a Native American war leader of the Oglala Lakota. He took up arms against the U.S...
- Red CloudRed CloudRed Cloud , was a war leader and the head Chief of the Oglala Lakota . His reign was from 1868 to 1909...
- Red Fish
- Little WoundLittle WoundLittle Wound b.ca 1835 - d winter 1899, Oglala Lakota chief. Following the death of his brother Bull Bear II in 1865 he became leader of the Kuinyan branch of the Kiyuksa band...
- Young Man Afraid Of His HorsesYoung Man Afraid Of His HorsesYoung-Man-Afraid-Of-His-Horses [Tȟašúŋke Kȟokípȟapi] , also translated as His-Horses-Are-Afraid and They-Fear-Even-His-Horses, was a chief of the Oglala Sioux...
- American HorseAmerican HorseWašíčuŋ Tȟašúŋke or American Horse was a chieftain of the Oglala Lakota during the Sioux Wars of the 1870s. He was also the nephew of the elder American Horse and son-in-law of Red Cloud....
(Wasechun-tashunka) - Crow DogCrow DogCrow Dog was a Brulé Lakota subchief, born at Horse Stealing Creek, Montana Territory, he was the nephew of former principal chief Conquering Bear who was killed in 1854 in an incident which would be known as the Grattan massacre. Crow Dog was one of the leaders who helped popularize the Ghost...
(Kangisanka) - Old Chief SmokeOld Chief SmokeOld Chief Smoke , an original Oglala Sioux head chief.-Background:Smoke's mother Looking Walker Woman was Teton Oglala Lakota, and his father, Body Parts, was Teton Sihásapa Lakota. He was the brother to White Cow Woman and Walks As She Thinks...
(Šóta) - Cecilia Fire ThunderCecilia Fire ThunderCecilia Fire Thunder is a nurse, community health planner and tribal leader of the Oglala Sioux. On November 2, 2004, she was the first woman elected as president of the Tribe. She served until being impeached on June 29, 2006, several months short of the two-year term...
- Theresa Two BullsTheresa Two BullsTheresa B. "Huck" Two Bulls is an attorney, prosecutor and politician in the United States and the Oglala Sioux Tribe. In 2004 she was elected as Democratic member of the South Dakota Senate, representing the 27th district, the first American Indian woman to be elected to the state legislature. ...
Warriors-military
- Ed McGaaEd McGaaEd McGaa is a member of the Oglala Lakota, and American author.-Life:He received his Bachelor's degree from St. John's University, earned a law degree from the University of South Dakota, and has studied under Chief Eagle Feather and Chief Fool's Crow, Sioux holy men...
- Ola Mildred Rexroat
- Pat Cuny
Artists
- Amos Bad Heart BullAmos Bad Heart BullAmos Bad Heart Bull was a noted Oglala Lakota artist in a style which adapted traditional Native American pictography to a new European style medium known as Ledger Art for the accountants ledger books they were originally done in...
See also
- Sičháŋǧu, Brulé (Burned Thighs)
- ItázipčhoSans ArcThe Sans Arc, or Itázipčho in Lakota, are a subdivision of the Lakota people. Sans Arc is the French translation of the Lakota name which means, "Without bows." The translator of Wooden Leg: A Warrior Who Fought Custer renders the name as Arrows all Gone...
, Sans Arc (No Bows) - HúŋkpapȟaHunkpapaThe Hunkpapa are a Native American group, one of the seven council fires of the Lakota Sioux tribe. The name Húŋkpapȟa is a Sioux word meaning "Head of the Circle"...
- MnikȟówožuMiniconjouThe Miniconjou are a Native American people constituting a subdivision of the Lakota Sioux, who formerly inhabited an area from the Black Hills in South Dakota to the Platte River. The contemporary population lives mostly in west-central South Dakota...
, Miniconjou - SihásapaSihasapaThe Sihásapa or "Blackfoot Sioux" are a division of the Titonwan, or Teton Sioux.Sihásapa is the Lakota word for "Blackfoot", whereas Siksiká has the same meaning in the Blackfoot language...
, Blackfoot Sioux - OóhenuŋpaTwo KettlesTwo Kettles or “Two Boilings” was a sub division of the Lakota Sioux tribe of Native Americans.# Wah-nee-wack-ata-o-ne-lar # Oohe Noⁿpa# Ma Waqota...
, Two Kettles
Further reading
- Ruling Pine Ridge: Oglala Lakota Politics from the IRA to Wounded Knee Texas Tech University PressTexas Tech University PressTexas Tech University Press , founded in 1971, is the university press of Texas Tech University.-External links:*...
- Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux University of Nebraska PressUniversity of Nebraska PressThe University of Nebraska Press, founded in 1941, is a publisher of scholarly and popular-press books. It is the second-largest state university press in the United States and, including private institutions, ranks among the 10 largest university presses in the United States...
External links
- Oglala Sioux Tribe, official website