Native Nations

Sioux Nation

The Sioux Nation consists of seven different tribes throughout the Great Plains. Sioux member were known to be great warriors, but family was the main focus of their lives. Children were called "wakanisha" which means "sacredness", and they were the center of attention. The Sioux Nation are very spiritual people who connect with spirits through music and dance. The Sun dance is the most religious ceremony to the Sioux people and a tradition that has always been held. The Sun dance is a 12-day ritual in the summer of self-sacrifice to serve the the Great spirit. For the males in the tribe, going to war was a rite of passage. Through war they believed the men gain prestige which was reflected in family honor. The Sioux Nations last great gathering was located on South Dakotas Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 2006. They keep their traditions running they have boy scout opportunities for the young boys who want to carry on the tradition of the rite of passage.

Sun Dance

Sioux Flag

Chief Oliver Red Cloud 1977-2013

Sioux Nation of 7 Tribes

Chief Sitting Bull 1831-1890 

Navajo Nation 

The Navajo Nation stretches 27,000 square miles across Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. One thing that The Navajo Nation is known for is they're intriguing language. When the Navajo men were fighting in World War II they used they're code and secrete language to fight on the front line to confuse the Japanese, today those men are known as the Navajo Code Talkers. Their culture was very into rituals and ceremonies. Some dances would take nine days with dozens of people. There most important ceremonies were the ones to help treat the ill.Sand-painting was a tradition used by the Navajo to help heal people who are sick. San-painting was a ritual where they would make a bed of sand and paint with yellow ochre, red sandstone, gypsum and charcoal all crushed up and would create images in the sand. They thought the images along with chanting would help them connect with the holy people and would then they would be provided with healing and protection. Today the Navajo Nation is focused on creating a stable economy for their growing population. 

Herb Yazzie- Currently on the
Navajo Supreme Court

Manuelito- Cheif of war 1860's

Sun Painting 

Navajo Nation

Mud Hut

Cherokee Nation

The Cherokee tribe has always been one of the most socially and culturally advanced tribes. They shaped a government that is similar to the government today. The Cherokee Tribe is known for the Trail of Tears. The Trail of Tears was when when the Cherokee Tribe was forced to give up their land and migrate east of the Mississippi river because of Andrew Jackson's Indian Removal Act. Before the removal there was six main festivals. The first festival of the year was held in March called the First New Moon of Spring. The seven Principal Councilors would determine when the new moons were going to appear and would announce the festival, the festival consisted of dancing, fasting, hunting and ending with a feast and are still done this day in age. One other tradition kept to this day is the naming of children. The maternal grandmother named the daughters and the senior male in the fathers lineage would name the sons.  

Chief Bowl- Principal Councilor

Cherokee Festival 2012

Chad Smith- Current Cherokee
Executive in Oklahoma

Traditional Dance at Great New Moon
Ceremony 2010

Ottawa Nation

The name Ottawa comes from the word "adawe" meaning; trade. This name was very fitting because of their constant trading with other tribes and eventually with the French. The Ottawa Tribe knew in order for their tribe to survive their children needed to be educated. In 1862 they were allotted 74,000 acres of land and gave 20,000 acres to be used and sold to raise money to build a Baptist school for which became the University of Ottawa where the Ottawa children were educated for free. They then sold their land and moved in 1869. The most important tradition and responsibility was The Quest for Pimadazin. The Quest was to fufill the honor of a good, healthy and moral collective life. The seven ways this was accomplished was by having purity in; mind, heart, body, humility, honesty, love and respect. To the Ottawa people today it is still a responsibility to accomplish The Quest for Pimdazin.

   

Statue of Chief Pontiac 1720-1769

First Nation Chiefs meet with Prime Minister

Current Ottawa Nation Leader

Ogala Lakota Nation

The Lakota tribe mostly is located in Northern part of the United States. The Lakota tribe is slightly smaller then other tribes consisting of about 70,000 registered Lakota Indians. The Lakota people are very spiritual. From a young age Lakota parents teach their kids about morals of their tribal group to help them better understand their background. Each family would have one or more tipi houses and the women were critical to the family and tribe. The women made almost everything the family and tribe used. The Rain Dance was a tradition that was held strong until1890 and has recently come back in the traditional Ogala Lakota festivals. 

Russell Means- Ogala Lakota Activist
1939-2012

Chief Flying Hawk
1854-1931