Dakota Sioux, 1905, Edward S. Curtis

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The Dakota Sioux, also called the Santee Sioux, originally migrated northeast into Ohio and Minnesota. The name "Santee" comes from camping for long periods in a place where they collected stone for making knives  Woodland people, they thrived on hunting, fishing and some farming. It was from the Dakota, that the Lakota stemmed, moving further west into the great plains.

There are four bands in the Dakota tribe, who primarily live in South Dakota , Minnesota, Nebraska and North Dakota, including:

• Mdewakantonwon

• Wahpeton

• Wahpekute

• Sisseton

In the 19th century, the railroads hired hunters to exterminate the buffalo herds, in order to force the tribes onto reservations. As the buffalo quickly came almost extinct, both the Dakota and Lakota were forced to accept white-defined reservations in exchange for the rest of their lands. Domestic cattle and corn were given to the Sioux in exchange for buffalo, making the Sioux dependent upon the government for food and payments  guaranteed by treaty.

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Also See:

The Great Sioux Nation

Myths & Legends of the Sioux

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