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The main communities
within the Cheyenne River Reservation
The distance from the Dupree Sioux YMCA headquarters to each community
is in parentheses.
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Bear Creek (15 miles) |
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Black Foot (85 miles) |
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Bridger (60 miles) |
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Cherry Creek (35 miles) |
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Eagle Butte (17 miles) |
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Frazier (30 miles) |
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Green Grass (40 miles) |
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Iron Lightning (20 miles) |
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Isabel (30 miles) |
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La Plant (45 miles) |
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Leslie Marrowbone Camp (70 miles) |
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Promise (75 miles) |
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Red Scaffold (35 miles) |
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Swiftbird (75 miles) |
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Takini (47 miles) |
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Thunder Butte (15 miles) |
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Timber Lake (43 miles) |
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White Horse (60 miles) |
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Communities
The Sioux Nation and the Cheyenne
River Reservation
Europeans have used the term `Sioux’ since 1640 to
designate the tribes that belong to the Dakota, Lakota and Nakota
language groups. The Sioux people are the tribe that won the Sioux
Wars of 1868 and defeated General George Armstrong Custer. The Sioux
people will use the word (Sioux) when telling other tribal groups what
Nation they are from or when speaking to non-Indians, but call
themselves by their Sub-Tribe name and by their language group. Thus a person would describe himself or herself as
Mnikoju Lakota.
The original territories occupied buy these allied
people extended from Minnesota to Montana, and from Nebraska into the
plains of Canada. They still occupy reservation lands in all those
places. Reservation lands are not part of the state they are
surrounded by, but are, by federal law, designated as Indian Country
and are largely sovereign, governed by Tribal Governments elected by
their members.
The Cheyenne River Sioux
Reservation was originally a central part of the Great Sioux
Reservation, which was established on April 29th, 1868 by the treaty
of Fort Laramie (15 Stat 635, 1868). Prior to the making of this
treaty, and prior to the coming of the Wasicu (In the Lakota language,
'wasicu' or 'wasicu pi' refers to the 'white man' and actually means
'fat taker' or 'steals the fat.') there existed for the Sioux people a
period of time which is often called the Golden Age of Siouan
Culture.
During the Golden age of Siouan dominance and control of the
northern plains, the Lakota developed a nomadic hunter/gatherer
existence which came into fruition with the coming of the horse. The
'horse culture' of the roaming bands of the Lakota people has lent
them an air of mysticism and romance that has captured the imagination
of thousands of non-Indian people from across the world.
The Lakota People make up what we call the Oceti Sakowin ('Seven
Council Fires'). This is a name that signifies that the Lakota people
are sub-divided into seven different and independent bands that
constitute the entire western division of the Sioux people.
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The Seven Council
Fires |
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Sicangu
('burnt thighs'): The Sicangu currently live on the
Rosebud and Lower Brule Reservation in the south central part of South Dakota. Hunkpapa ('camps at the edge'): The Hunkpapa
currently live on the Standing Rock reservation which covers
portions of North and South Dakota. There are also Hunkpapa
living in Canada, descendents of the people who fled there
with Chief Sitting Bull after the battle on the Greasy Grass
where Custer died.
Oglala ('scatter their own'): The Oglala currently
live on the Pine Ridge Reservation in the south western part
of South Dakota.
Mnikoju ('plants by the water'): The Mnikoju
currently live on the Cheyenne River reservation in central
South Dakota.
Itazipco ('without bow'): The Itazipco currently
live on the Cheyenne River Reservation in central South
Dakota.
Siha Sapa ('blackfeet/blackfoot'): The Siha Sapa
currently live on the Cheyenne River reservation in central
South Dakota.
Oo'henumpa ('two kettle'): The Oo'henumpa currently
live on the Cheyenne River reservation in central South
Dakota. |
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