Indigenous Peoples of South Dakota

The word South Dakota is a Sioux word meaning 'friend" or "allies".

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) established several field agencies in South Dakota to administer Indian programs on eight different reservations. Various Sioux tribes lived on those reservations, including the Santee, Teton (Brule and Oglala), Yankton, and Yanktonnais. Other Indian tribes who lived in South Dakota in the early nineteenth century included the Arikara, Cheyenne, Omaha, and Poncas.

Tribes and Bands of South Dakota
Arapaho, Arikara, Blackfeet, Burle (Sioux), Cheyenne (Northern), Dakota, Gros Ventre, Hunkpapa, Keyauwee, Kiowa, Loafer,Mandan, Minneconjou, Natchez, Oglala, Northern Oglala, Omaha, Pedee, Ponca, red Cloud Band, red Leaf Band, Saluda, Santee Sioux, Sewee, Shakori, Shawnee, Siouan, Sisseton Sioux. Sissipahaw, Sugaree, Brule teton Sioux. Black Pape Sioux, Sioux, Sutaio, Wahzhaghe, Thankton, two Kettle, Waccamaw, Wahpeton, Wateree, Waxhaw, Winnebago, Winyaw, Wowakita, Yamasee, Yankonai (Upper and Lower)

Reservations

 * Cheyenne River Reservation: Federal, under jurisdiction of the Cheyenne River Agency, Tribe: Sioux
 * Crow Creek Reservation: Federal, under jurisdiction of the the Crow Creek Agency, Tribe: Sioux
 * Flandreau Reservation: Federal, under jurisdiction of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Agency, Tribe: Flandreau Santee Sioux
 * Grande River Reservation
 * Lake Traverse Reservation
 * Lower Brule Reservation: Federal, under jurisdictiton of the Lower Brule Agency, Tribe: Sioux
 * Pine Ridge Reservation or Wowakita Reservation: Federal, under jurisdiction of the Pine Ridge Agency, Tribe: OglalaSioux
 * Rosebud Reservation (before 1878 Spotted Trail): Federal, under jurisdiction of the Rosebud Agency, Tribe: Sioux
 * Sisseton Reservation: Federal, under jurisdiction of Sisseton Agency, Tribes: Sisseton and Wahpeton Sioux
 * Spotted Trail Reservation
 * Standing Rock Reservation (before 1875 Grande River): Federal, under jurisdiction of Standing Rock Agency, Tribe; Sioux
 * Wowakita Reservation
 * Yankton Reservation:Federal, under jurisdiction of the Yankton Agency, Tribe Yankton Sioux

Agencies

 * Cheyenne River Agency, P.O. Box 325, Eagle Butte, SD, 57625
 * Crow Creek Agency, P.O.Box 616, Ft. Thompson, SD, 57339
 * Flandreau Santee Sioux Agency,
 * Loswer Brule Agency, P.O. Box 190, Lower Brule, SD. 57548
 * Pine Ridge Agency, P.O. Box 1203, Pine Ridge, SD. 57770
 * Sisseton Agency, P.O. Box 688, Agency Village, SD. 57262
 * Standing Rock Agency, P.O. Box E, Ft. Yates, SD.58538
 * Rosebud Agency, P.O. Box 550, Rosebud, SD. 57570
 * Yankton Agency, Wagner, SD. 57380

Family History Library
The Family History Library has 130 microfilms of BIA records from the Cheyenne River, Pine Ridge, Rosebud, Sisseton, Standing Rock, and other agencies. These include birth, marriage, death, adoption, census, school, land allotment, probate, military, and miscellaneous records. Most of the records were created between 1870 and 1970.

These records are listed in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under NATIVE RACES and other subjects such as CENSUS, VITAL RECORDS, and LAND AND PROPERTY. You will also find records listed in the subject section of the Family History Library Catalog under the names of the tribe, such as SIOUX INDIANS.

The original BIA records are at the National Archives—Central Plains Region at Kansas City, MO (see Archives and Libraries Section above for address).


 * Rapid CIty Indian School records, 1904-1933, FHL film 1204882
 * Flandreau Indian School 1906-1937, 3 films, 1st film FHL 1017424
 * Pierre Indian School 1932-1936 1st film FHL 1205162
 * 1880 Rosebud Census and 1886-1942 Supplemental Vital records 1st film 0573847
 * Major James McLaughlin records 1855-1937 1s fil m 0541380
 * Central Superintendency of India Affairs 1813-1878 108 films M856 1st film 1602893
 * Dakota Superintency 13 films M1016 1st film 1549632

Other Repositories

 * South Dakota State Historical Society
 * Sinta Gleska College, Rosebud, South Dakota
 * Oglala Lakota College

See Also:
South Dakota-History for a calendar of events

South Dakota-Military for a list of forts