THE LAKOTA PEOPLE

Among the 562 federally recognized Native American tribes in the United States, there are seven bands of the Titowan (Lakota) division that constitute the Great Sioux Nation. The Oglala people on Pine Ridge make up one of these seven tribes. Roughly translated to “Scatter Their Own”, they are recognized for their fierce passion and dedication to the preservation of their culture.

Their great Headmen, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Red Cloud, Black Elk and many others provided wise and strong leadership, though always seeking guidance from the women as theirs is a matriarchal society.

The Lakota are a proud and generous people whose ancestry can be dated back thousands of years. Notorious for their gifted horsemanship, rich culture, connection to the land and to Spirit and strong sense of community, the Lakota people have become a powerful and prominent presence on the Northern Plains.

Despite a history of genocide, broken treaties and extreme poverty, the legacy of the Lakota people is not rooted in their suffering; but rather in their strength, their wisdom, their traditions and their ways.