Sioux Nation

Guide to  ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and other agency records.

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History
Some of the first non-Indians among the Sioux were Jesuit explorers and missionaries during the 1600's.

The Sioux migrated westward to the Missouri River area and beyond pushed by inter tribal conflict with the Chippewa and encroaching settlers.

During the mid 1860's the federal government wanted to establish the Bozeman Trail, the military began establishing forts, these actions were the spark for Red Cloud's War. Chief Red Cloud lead his warriors, they were joined by other tribes in their fight against the fort and troops the Indians were successful in blocking the establishments of the Trail.

Many Sioux stayed in the Midwest, some moved further west in to the Rocky Mountain area and Montana.

** Three major divisions
 * 1) Eastern or Santee Sioux, last to leave traditional homelands near Lake Superior. Subgroups: Mdewakantonwan, Wahpekute, Sisseton and Wahpeton. Their descendants today live on Fort Totten Reservation in North Dakota and on Lake Traverse (Sisseton) and Flandreau Reservation in South Dakota, Santtee Reservation in Nebraska, Fort Peck Reservation in Montana and in small reservations in Minnesota.
 * 2) The Middle, or Wiciyela Sioux, Two groups: Yankton and Yanktonai. Today they are on the Yankton and Crow Creek Reservations in South Dakota and Standing Rock and Fort Totten Reservations in North Dakota and Fort Peck, Montana.
 * 3) Western or Teton Sioux the largest Sioux Division. Seven sub-bands: Oglala, Brule, Sans Arcs, Blackfeet, Minnekonjou, Two Kettle, and Hunkpapa. They live in South Dakota, on Pine Ridge, Rosebud, Lower Brule, Cheyenne River and Standing Rock Reservations.

Brief Timeline

 * 1600's Jesuit explorers
 * 1700's: Sioux were migrating westward to Missouri River and beyond. Pushed by the Chippewa and encroaching settlers
 * 1837: Ceeded land between the Saint Croix and Mississippi rivers
 * 1846: At the invitation of Chief Little Crow, Dr. Thomas S. Williamson came to Kaposia and established a school
 * 1851: Treaty at Fort Laramie
 * 1854: Removed to Lower Sioux or Redwood Reservation
 * 1854-55: Grattan Fight
 * 1857: Spirit Lake Massacre
 * 1862-64: Minnesota Uprising or Little Crow's War
 * 1866-68: Bozeman Trail or Red Cloud's War
 * 1876-77: War for the Black Hills or Sitting Bull's and Crazy Horse's War
 * 1890: Wounded Knee
 * 1850-1890: Sioux Wars
 * 1892: Great Sioux Reservation Census

Additional References to the History of the Tribe
==== Leaders: Red Cloud, Red Fox, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse ====

Agencies
Upper Missouri Agency

Upper Platte Agency

Cheyenne River Agency

Crow Creek Agency

Lower Brule Agency

Lower Sioux Agency - Thomas Galbraith was agent at the time of the Dakota War of 1862.

Upper Sioux Agency

Grand River Indian Agency (North Dakota)

Grand River Indian Agency (South Dakota)

Standing Rock Agency

Whetstone Agency

Superintendencies
St. Louis Superintendency

Central Superintendency

Dakota Superintendency

Northern Superintendency

Bands and Groups of the Sioux Tribe and Their Reservations/Localities
The term or designation of Sioux Indians is a very broad categorization of several bands and/or federally recognized tribes within the group so named. For the most part, they have historically lived in the Northern Plains area, and have ranged from the Canadian border and even into Canada on the north to Oklahoma on the south, and from Wyoming and Montana on the west to the Mississippi River and beyond on the east. Some of the tribes, bands, or groups of Sioux, with their colonies or reservations,include:

Santee Sioux; subbands: Mdewakantonwan, Wahpekute, Sisseton and Wahpeton [Fort Totten Reservation in North Dakota, Lake Traverse and Flandreau Reservations in South Dakota, Santee Reservation in Nebraska, Fort Peck Reservation in Montana and in Minnesota]

Wiciyela Sioux; subgroups Yankton and Yanktonai.Yankton and Crow Creek Reservations in South Dakota, Standing Rock an Fort Totten Reservations in North Dakota,and Fort Peck Reservation in Montana.]

Teton Sioux; seven subbands: Oglala, Brule, Sans Arcs, Blackfeet, Minnekonjou, Two Kettle and Hunkpapa.[Pine Ridge, Rosebud, Lower Brule, Cheyenne River and Standing Rock Reservations in South Dakota]


 * Cheyenne River Sioux -- Cheyenne River Reservation (South Dakota)
 * Crow Creek Sioux -- Crow Creek Reservation (South Dakota)
 * Flandreau Santee Sioux -- (Montana)
 * Fort Peck Sioux -- Fort Peck Reservation (Montana)
 * Hunkpapa Sioux -- majority on the Standing Rock Reservation
 * Lower Brule Sioux -- Lower Brule Reservation (South Dakota)
 * Lower (Mdewakanton) Sioux Indian Community -- Lower Sioux Indian Community (Minnesota)
 * Miniconjou Sioux --
 * Oglala Sioux -- Pine Ridge Reservation (South Dakota)
 * Prairie Island (Mdewakanton Sioux) Indian Community -- Prairie Island Reservation (Minnesota)
 * Rosebud Sioux -- Rosebud Reservation (South Dakota)
 * Sans Arc Sioux --
 * Santee Sioux -- Santee Reservation (Nebraska)
 * Shakopee (Mdewakanton Sioux) Community -- (Minnesota)
 * Sihasapa Sioux --
 * Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux -- Lake Traverse Reservation (South Dakota)
 * Standing Rock Sioux -- Standing Rock Reservation (North and South Dakota)
 * Wahpekute Sioux --
 * Upper Sioux -- Upper Sioux Reservation (Minnesota)
 * Yankton Sioux -- Yankton Sioux Reservation (South Dakota)
 * Yanktonai Sioux --

Records
The majority of records of individuals were those created by the agencies. Some records may be available to tribal members through the tribal headquarters.They were (and are) the local office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and were charged with maintaining records of the activities of those under their responsibility. Among these records are:


 * Allotment records
 * Annuity rolls
 * Census records
 * Correspondence
 * Health records
 * Reports
 * School census and records
 * Vital records

Treaties
During the latter part of the 18th Century and most of the 19th Century, treaties were negotiated between the federal government and individual Indian tribes. The treaties provide helpful information about the history of the tribe, but usually only include the names of those persons who signed the treaty. For more information about treaties, click here.

Treaties to which the Sioux Indians were a part were:


 * 1805 September 23, unratified
 * 1815 June 19, with the Sioux of The Lakes
 * 1815 July 19, with the Sioux of St. Peter's River
 * 1815 July 19, with the Yakton Sioux
 * 1816 June 1, at St. Louis
 * 1825, with the Huknpapa Band of Sioux
 * 1825 June 22, at Fort Look Out, with the Teton, Yancton, and Yanctonies bands of Sioux.
 * 1830 July 15, at Prairie du Chien
 * 1836 September 10, land ceded to the United States
 * 1836 October 15, at Bellevue
 * 1836 November 30, at St. Peters, with Wahpaakootah, Susseton, and Upper Medawakanton tribes of Sioux
 * 1837 September 29, at Washington,
 * 1837 October 21, at Washington
 * 1851 July 23
 * 1851 August 5, at Mendota
 * 1851 September 17, at Fort Laramie
 * 1858 June 19, with Mendawakanton and Wahpahoota bands of Sioux
 * 1858 June 19, Sisseeton and Wahpaton Bands of the Dakota or Sioux
 * 1858 April 19, with the Yankton Sioux
 * 1865 October 10, at Fort Sully
 * 1865 October 14, at Fort Sully
 * 1865 October 19, at Fort Sully
 * 1865 October 20, at Fort Sully
 * 1865 October 20, with the Hunkpapa Band
 * 1865 October 20, at Fort Sully
 * 1865 October 28,
 * 1865 October 28, at Fort Sully
 * 1867 February 19
 * 1868 April 29, at Fort Laramie
 * 1872 September 20, Sisseton and Wahpeton Bands - unratified
 * 1873 May 2, Lac Traverse Agency, Dakota Territory
 * 1876: Battle of the Little Big Horn, Custer's Last Stand
 * 1882-83 October 17 1882-January 3, 1883 - unratified
 * 1890: Wounded Knee Massacre 7th Cavalry intercepted Chief Big Foot near Wounded Knee Creek

Vital Records
Prior to the Indian Reorganization Act, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, through their agencies, may have recorded some vital events. Some were recorded on health forms, such as the "Sanitary Record of Sick, Injured, Births, Deaths, etc." Others were recorded as supplements to the "Indian Census Rolls." Some were included in the unindexed reports and other correspondence of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Some vital records for the Sioux Indians include:


 * Fort Totten Agency, M595, births and deaths 1935-36 and 1938 some marriages,
 * Fort Peck Agency, M595, births and deaths 1924-1932, and births and deaths 1935-1939,
 * Rosebud Agency, M595, births and deaths 1924-1931, and births and deaths 1929-1936,
 * Cheyenne River Agency, M595, births and deaths 1925-1932, and births and deaths 1933-1942,
 * Crow Creek Agency, M595, births and deaths 1925-1932, and births and deaths and some marriages 1935-1936,
 * Lower Burle Sioux Agency, M595, births and deaths 1929, and births and deaths 1924-1931,  and births and deaths 1935-39, 1942,
 * Standing Rock Agency, M595, births and deaths 1924-1932,
 * Pine Ridge Agency, M595, births and deaths 1924-1932,
 * Winnebago Agency, M595, births and deaths 1924-1931, ;births and deaths 1932-1933, and births and deaths 1922-1938,

Important Websites

 * The Constitution and By-Laws of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe of Fort Thompson South Dakota
 * Constitution and By-Laws for the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe South Dakota
 * Constitution and Bylaws of the Lower Brulé Sioux Tribe
 * Constitution of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Pine Ridge, South Dakota
 * Constitution and By-laws of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota
 * Constitution and By-Laws of the Devils Lake Sioux Tribe North Dakota. Approved February 14, 1946.
 * Constitution of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
 * Constitution and By-laws of the Yankton Sioux Tribal Business and Claims Committee
 * State Office of Indian Affairs article on the Fort Peck Tribes

Sioux

 * Carlson, Paul H. The Plains Indians. College Station, Texas: Texas A&amp;M University Press, c1998.
 * Denig, Edwin Thompson. Five Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri: Sioux, Arickaras, Assiniboines, Crees, Crows. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, c1981. The Civilization of American Indian Series:059.