The Sioux Nation

1. The Sioux Nation

2. Objectives To understand • The culture and history of one Native American Tribe • To be able to give an account of family life and the role of each member of a sioux family • To show some understanding of the beliefs of the Sioux nation

3. Look at the is image of a Sioux warrior. What does it tell you about the Sioux Nation.

4. The Sioux • The Sioux Indians were just one of the many different people who lived on the Plains of North America. Others were the Osage, Crow, Cree, Blackfoot and the Pawnee. • The name given to all the Sioux people was the Sioux Nation. There were 25,000 people in the Sioux nation and it was very hard to organise them all. Why do you think it was hard to organise the Sioux Nation?

5. The Structure of the Sioux Tribe • To help organise the people the Nation was divided into 7 tribes and the 7 tribes all had 6 sub-tribes. That’s 42 tribes in all! • Each tribe had a Chief; he was usually the bravest, strongest and cleverest man in the tribe. It was his job to keep the people in his tribe safe and decided when it was time to move to find more food. All the people of the tribe would listen to him. The Chief was a very important man.

6. Check up time! • Name the 6 different Indian peoples mentioned in the text. • The name given to the Sioux people was the Sioux________ • children b) who c) nation • How many people were members of the Sioux?

7. Rituals and customs The Sioux Indians had many rituals and customs, which they followed strictly.

8. The Sioux Council The Sioux Indians did not have written laws. They had a Council instead. The Sioux Indians would select from among the tribe people who were quiet and honest to be councilmen or leaders. These councilmen would sit on the Council and discuss things that were important to the Sioux tribe. This could be anything from murder to war with another tribe. These leaders would often dress in ceremonial clothes when making decisions.

9. Sioux Religion The Sioux were a deeply spiritual people, believing in one god, Wakan Tanka, or the Great Mystery. Religious visions were important to them and the people communed with the spirit world through music and dance. Rituals of self-sacrifice, by inflicting slashes upon themselves or other self-inflicted wounds, were carried out by warriors. This was also practiced by mourners during burial ceremonies.

10. Exposure • The Sioux Indians had to travel to find food. When a person was too old to keep up with the tribe, she or he was left behind to die. This custom was known as exposure and was considered perfectly normal by the Sioux Indians. What do you think about it?

11. Family Life No other race of people had a deeper love of family than the Sioux Indians • They were very fond of their children, whom they spoilt, and never punished, except in extreme cases, when they would throw a bucket of cold water over them. Many white people slap their children, snatch them by the ears, or beat them with straps and sticks, but not the Sioux Indians. When boys needed discipline they were denied the right to play war games and go hunting. Girls were denied the privileges of playing with their dolls, or helping their mothers. Which family would you have preferred if you lived in those days?