THE SIOUX (DAKOTA) ARE DIVIDED INTO THREE GROUPS OF LANGUAGES (DIALECTS)
DAKOTA - LAKOTA - NAKOTA.
The word SIOUX comes from the Ojibwa people and means snake. DAKOTA means something like "alliance" and the Sioux people rather call them selves Dakota, Nakota or Lakota. Therefore I will use the word Dakota as an overall conception for the Sioux people.
The DAKOTA people are divided into 7 tribes:
Sisseton, Wahpeton, Wahpekute, Mdewakanton who speak DAKOTA dialect
and Yankton and Yanktonai who speak NAKOTA dialect and Teton who speak LAKOTA dialect.
In the Lakota branch or Teton as they also call them selves are seven tribes or divisions:
Sicangu meaning "burned thigh" or more known as Brulé, and Sihasapa,
Hunkpapa, Oglala, Itazipco,Minneconjou and Oohenonpa.

Dakotas home country was from the beginning Minnesota. The dialects came up as the Dakota people moved westwards. The eastern Dakota people lived in the woods and had canoes and harvested wild rice. The later uprising prairie culture came up as they were driven out on the plains of their antagonists the Ojibwa people, and even partly from the wars with white settlers, among others the Minnesota massacre in 1862.

The Dakotas had many good leaders as Crazy Horse, Red Cloud and Sitting Bull, who all tried to defend their peoples culture and living habits. The Dakota people are today mostly living in North and South Dakota and among the largest Reservations are Pine Ridge and Rosebud in South Dakota and Standing Rock in North Dakota.

Kate Blue Thunder (1890-1991) in the year of 1900, 10 years old, daughter to the French descendent Louis Roubideaux, who lived as an interpreter on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. She became more than 100 years old and lived all her life on the Reservation. She was married three times and survived all her husbands.
Photo from the Swede John Andersson, who came from Halland in Sweden and lived and documented the lives of the Sioux people on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota for nearly 50 years. He became later a manager for the Sioux Indian Museum in Rapid City, South Dakota. He lived all his life with the Sioux people and tried to help them in different ways, to find them selves in a new world. He is today considered as one of the most important photographers who ducumented the North American Native culture in the 1800s.

Ceremonies
Lakotas or the Tetons have 7 holy ceremonies. Inipi (sweatlodge), Hanblecyapi (vision quest), Tatanka Lowapi (buffalo ceremony), Tap Wanka Yap (throwing the ball), Hunkapi (a ceremony for relationship), the Keeping of the Soul ceremony, och Wiwanyag Wacipi (sundance). The thoughts and philosophies of the Lakota people are based on the believe that wakan tanka (all creation) is a circle. The circle stands for that we all are related to each other (mitakuye oyasin) (we are all related). The sundance is performed in a circle around a "sundance tree" and the dance is focused on the holy pipe (canupa). The pipe was given to the Lakota people from the White Buffalo Calf Woman. In the Lakota culture they have what they call nations (oyate). There is one nation for the four legged, one for the two legged, for the plants and so on. In this system the peoples nation is equal to all the other nations. The peoples nation is called "ikce wicasa oyate." All are "ikce wicasa" (ordinary human being) until they become a pipe carrier. When an "ikce wicasa" decides to be a pipe carrier she also becomes a Lakota. To be Lakota means to live with the 7 ceremonies and to live in harmony with everything thatīs alive.
After Leona White Hat.

Spirituality
The spirituality among the Dakotas is centered around a special belief, events and objects. It is composed of the sweatlodge, the pipe, the drum, the song, the name ceremony, prayer, vision quest and guarding spirits, the ceremonial pow wow (for ex. the sundance), the Medicinman or woman (Shamans), Medicin bags, different dream tools and traditional storys about the Great Spirit. Ritual and spirital objects includes sage,sweetgrass,tobacco and cedar. Dogs were often used in spiritual partys and could be offered to the spirits. The figure four is a holy number. There are four cardinal points, four seasons, four "colours" of the human, red, white, black and yellow.

Oglala mythologi
James Walker who worked on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and who also became an Oglala Medicinman explains the Oglala mythologi: "The Shamans are classifying the Gods into 4 categories, with 4 Gods in each category. The order of rank is; Wi (the sun), the highest God; Skan (heaven), the great powerful God; Maka (the earth), mother of everything alive on the earth and also a protector of everything; Inyan (the stone), the first source to everything. In the second category is Hanwi (the moon), created by Wi to be his partner; Tate (the wind), created by Skan to be his partner; Unk (satisfied), created by Maka to be her partner, but she was thrown into the water and is the Goddess of the water and the origin of all that is evil; Wakinyan (the winged), created by Inyan to be his associated. The third category includes Ta Tanka (the Buffalo God), the one who leads the ceremonies and comes with health; Hu Nonp (the Bear God), the one who comes with wisdom; Wani (the four winds), who changes the weather and comes to you with new powers; Yum (the whirlwind), the God who take chances, plays and comes with love. In the fourth category of Gods are Nagi (the Spirit); Niya (the Ghost); Sicun (the Intellect); Nagila (the ghost in irrational things). These 16 Gods are each a personal side of an overall creature called Wakan Tanka, the great mystery.

Skan created from his own essence a daughter (Wohpe) to be a mediator. He gave her power like a God and responsibility over harmony, beauty and joy. She is more beautiful than any human being. Inyan has two offsprings. The oldest was born full-grown in an egg and in an unnatural way from Wakinyan. His name was Ksa and he was the God of wisdom but he became the ruler of evil and got the name Iktomi. Inyans second son is Iya, who is very nasty and responsible to all evil things. He made incest to his mother Unk and their offspring became a very beautiful, enticing and false demon whos name is Gnaski. These are the characters that are most common in the Oglala Lakota mythologi.

Fool Bull 1844-1909 Medicinman on the Rosebud Reservation. He took part in the battle of Little Big Horn and then he used the shield in this picture. It can be seen, just as the necklace made of grizzlybear claws on the Sioux Indian Museum in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Photo John Andersson.

The stories about the creation of life on earth are many among the tribes in North America, and here is the one from Oglala Lakota:
Before anything existed, before time existed, there was only Inyan (the stone), and his spirit was Wakan Tanka. Then came Han but she is nothing because she is only the black in the darkness. Inyan was soft and formable but he had all the powers. The power was in his blood and it was blue. He longed for someone to compete with. There couldīnt be someone else if he didīnt take a piece of him self and created someone. If he did that he had to plant a spirit in it and give away some of his blood. As much blood as he left, as much power should go to the spirit. He decided to create someone else as a part of himself, so that he could have him under control. So he took from himself and spread all around and formed a large area whoīs end was where there is no end. He called this area Maka (The Earth) and planted into her a spirit Maka-akan (The God of the Earth). To be able to create Maka he took so much of himself that he opened all veins and all his blood flow away from him, and he fell down and became hard and powerless. As his blood was flowing the streams, the rivers and the seas were created. But the powers themselves canīt survive in the water so they separated from the water and became a creature in the form of a blue dome whoīs area touched the area of Maka. The powers is a Spirit and the blue dome is heaven, the Great Spirit Skan. Inyan, Maka and the waterstreams are the world and Skan is the heaven above the world.

Maka was upset that Inyan hadīnt given her a life of her self, and wanted him to get rid of Han (The black of the darkness). He answered that he was out of powers and then Maka teased him for that so that he in the end agreed to appeal to Skan for her. Skan heard Makaīs complaint and had to be the final judge for everything. He laid down that Maka for ever had to be dependent on Inyan as he created her. To bless her Inyan created Anp, who is nothing else than the red colour in the light. Skan deported Han to the underworld and placed Anp on the Earth. Then there was light all over the world, but there was still not warmth or shadows.

Maka felt naked and frozen and complained to Skan. He then took from both Inyan and Maka and from the waterstreams and also from himself, and created a lightning star. He called it Wi (The Sun) and planted in Wi the Spirit who is Wi-akan (The God of the Sun). He placed Wi above the blue dome and ordered him to shine all over the world and to give warmth to everyone, and to each one a shadow. Wi did what he was told and everything in the world became warm.

Maka didīnt feel well to always be in the sun and persuaded Skan to let Han (The black of the darkness) come back. Skan decided that Anp and Han should be together in a space above the world. He ordered Wi to go in front of Anp to the underworld and then follow him back to the world above. And so was Anp-etu and Han-yetu created, day and night.

The Months:
Januari-----wi ote - 'hi ka wi
Februari----`can na - popa wi
March---------i`sta - wi`ca niyan wi
April--------peji - to wi
May---------`can wape to wi
June---------wipa - zunka wa`ste wi
July---------`canpa - `sa wi
August-----wa `suton - wi
September---`can wape - `gi wi
October-----`can wape - ka `sna wi
November----wani - yetu wi
December----wani - `cokan wi

The Four Directions:
North--------wazi - yata
West------wi yo - `hpe yata
South-------ito ka`ga - ta
East-------wi yo - `hin yan pata

The Colours:
blue----------to
green--------zi to
white----------ska
pink--------`sa - mna
red---------`sa
brown-------`gi
black--------sapa
yellow---------zi

Numbers:
one----------wan - ji
two---------nu - pa
three---------ya - mni
four--------to - pa
five---------zap - tan
six---------`sa - kpe
seven---------`sa ko - win
eight--------`sa glo - `han
nine---------ne p`cun - ka
ten---------wi k`ce - mna
twenty-------wi k`ce - mna nub
thirty-----wi k`ce - mna yam ni
fifty------wi k`ce - mna zap tan
one hundred------opawin - `ge

Money:
money------maza - ska
dollar-------maza - ska

Animals:
dog--------`sun - ka
cat----------ig mu
horse---------`sun ka - wa kan
buffalo bull--ta tan - ka
deer--------ta - `hca
wolf---------`sung - manitu tan ka
coyote------`sung ma - he tu
bear--------ma to
eagle----------wam bli
crow-------kan `gi
hawk---------`ce tan

Human body:
hair----------pe - hin
eyes----------i `sta
mouth---------i
shoulder------a blo
back----------cu - wi
arm-----------is to
stommack------te - zi
foot----------si
head----------na ta
face----------i - te
nose----------pa - su
ears----------nu - `ge
hand----------na pe
leg-----------hu - ki

Humans:
girl-------wi `cin
boy-------hok - `si la
woman------win yan
man---------wi`ca - `sa
grandma------un - `ci (eller) kun - `si
grandpa-------la - la (eller) tun ka - `sila

Food:
bread---------a` guya - pi
butter--------a`san - pi wig li
egg----------wit - ka
sugar------`can han - pi
salt----------mni sku - ya
meat---------ta - lo
water------mni

Phrases:
yes-------------------------------han
OK-----------------------------o han
by the way----------------------lot kunk - `sni
I think so-------------------sa na - `ce `ce
Whatīs the matter?------------to - ka ho?
Look! (woman)--wan la - wa!
Look! (man)-----wa yan - ka!
Donīt do that! (woman)---------- he `cu - sni ye
Donīt do that! (man)------------- he `cu - sni yo
To find interesting------------i - ska
I am hungry------------------lo wa - `cin

Probably you have heard about the great Sioux chief Sitting Bull. The name Sitting Bull is referring to a buffalo bull who sits on the top of a hill, not because he is tired, not because he has given up but because he is looking out on the places where he has been and what he has meant to others.

There is always a point where you can stop for a while and invent your life, look back and valuate all the experiences who took you so far and ask your self: "What have I learn, how can I use these experiences to go further?" Everything we have experienced including all injustice, disappointments and frighten times had part in the forming of us and showed us what we are made of. Sometimes we have been forced down on our knees in desperation. There were times when we didīnt knew if we should see another day or not, because the situation was so hard, so destroying. Perhaps we have felt that we wanted to surrender, as it seemed that we had no place to go or no one we could talk to on the whole planet. We create several ties who needs to be blown away from the hurricanes of our lives, so that we can create a free road to walk on. It doesīnt matter how physically weak we are, there is a power inside of us who gives us the strenght we need to carry on.

So it was there the great indian Sitting Bull got his name, as the buffalo who sits down and evaluates his life. You canīt walk or run all the time. Sit down now and then and look at your surrondings.
If you walk in and out from a house on a daily basi, there is perhaps a special grasstraw on the lawn, always standing there and looking at you when you pass, but you canīt see it because you are so busy to go to work in time. You think of the traffic, you think of the workday "When I come to the office I will do this and that", and you are missing the little straw who stands like a protector and in itīs way filter the air so that we all can breath a little better. The grass and itīs relatives are necessary to our bodies, so the next time you shall stop, look down on the straw and say thank you before you go further.
It is a joy and a beauty injection in your life. This little straw has a life like you and me.

From the book "The wind is my mother" Bear Heart/Molly Larkin.