Overview Of The Seven Council Fires

Of all the articles and videos available on the culture and history of the Native American people and specifically of the Oceti Sakowin, the PBS documentary, Oceti Sakowin - The People of the Seven Council Fires that aired on September 8, 2007 was the most enlightening. This documentary was a collection of stories about The Lakota, Dakota and Nakota people, presented by the elders of these tribes, just as was their tradition. ESSENTIAL UNDERSTANDING 5: History told from the Oceti Sakowin perspective, through oral tradition and written accounts, frequently conflicts with the stories mainstream historians tell and becomes subjective information. Currently historical perspective is being revisited to be more inclusive (Whirlwind Soldier et.

He stated that a large part of the oppression of the Oceti Sakowin people was due to the misunderstanding by the European people of their social organizations. The Europeans found the Native people to be uncivilized, savages with no organized formal society structure. This again was simply not true. The Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota people are all related, some by blood, but all by customs, beliefs, and language. Craig Howe (2007), explains that The Seven Council Fires consists of the four tribes of the Dakota (Mdewakontonwan, Wakpekute, Wahpetonwan, Sissetonwan), the two tribes of the Nakota (Ihanktonwan, Ihanktonwanna) and the one tribe of the Lakota (Tetonwan). According to the physician James Walker, who lived for a time with the Oceti Sakowin, the first of the Oceti Sakowin were the Spirit Lake people. They never knew themselves as the Sioux. Sioux was a name given to the first people encountered; in what is now northern Minnesota, as trappers and later settlers followed game and gold west. The name Sioux is a result of the miscommunication brought about by the language barriers. An Ojibwa or Cree translator who meant to say and motion, people by the snakelike river was seen and translated as the snake people. The French plural of the word was Nadouessioux and was later shortened to Sioux. The Oceti people rather called themselves Oyate or the

OSEU #4 - Kinship is at the heart of identity. Knowing where you belong and that everyone has their place in the camp circle is crucial to the well-being of all. The coverings depicted the rightful place of all families. We do not do things for personal or monetary gain, but because it is the right thing to do for the people (Whirlwind Soldier et. al., 2007). Family and the roles of the men and women are at the heart of the Oceti civilization. However, this concept was also foreign to the whites who were entering their lands. Everything the Europeans did was centered around ownership. The Oceti existed in harmony with the environment, and when nature dictated they moved. They did so without much concern for boundaries or owned lands. The roles of the men and women for the Oceti Sakowin were well defined. The men were the protectors and providers of the tribe, while the women were the nurturers and the educators of the children. The women owned all the property and though they did not act as the leaders of the tribe, their opinion and wisdom was very valuable. The documentary stated very simply that the worst aspect of the forced boarding schools for the Oceti Sakowin children was that it took away their pride in themselves as it took away their roles as men and women. The men were no longer the providers and protectors and the women no longer the educators of the children. The long-term results of the era of assimilation and the boarding