n.
or Dakota or Lakota
Any of a number of North American Plains Indian peoples living mostly in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Nebraska, U.S. They comprise the Santee (Eastern Sioux), Yankton, and Teton (Western Sioux), each of which in turn has lesser divisions (e.g., Blackfoot , Oglala).
Their languages belong to the Siouan language stock. The name Sioux is a French derivation of an Ojibwa name for "enemy" or "snake." They call themselves Dakota, meaning "Friend." In the 17th century the Sioux lived in the area around Lake Superior, but attacks from the Ojibwa drove them west into Minnesota. They adopted a Plains way of life, hunting buffalo, living in tepee s, emphasizing valour in warfare, and practicing the sun dance . Sioux women were skilled at porcupine-quill and bead embroidery. The Sioux were resolute in resisting white incursions. In 1862, white treaty violations led the Santee to mount a bloody uprising under Little Crow; after their defeat, they were forced onto reservations in South Dakota and Nebraska. Serious fighting between U.S. troops and the Yankton and Teton Sioux in the 1860s and '70s culminated in the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, a great Indian victory. Eventually, however, the Sioux surrendered and were forced onto reservations. In 1890 the Ghost Dance religion inspired many Sioux to take up arms, leading to the massacre at Wounded Knee . The Sioux number about 75,000. See also Sitting Bull .