Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate
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The Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation ( dak, Sisíthuŋwaŋ Waȟpéthuŋwaŋ oyáte), formerly Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe/Dakota Nation, is a
federally recognized tribe This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States of America. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes were legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United ...
comprising two bands and two subdivisions of the ''Isanti'' or
Santee Dakota The Dakota (pronounced , Dakota language: ''Dakȟóta/Dakhóta'') are a Native American tribe and First Nations band government in North America. They compose two of the three main subcultures of the Sioux people, and are typically divided into ...
people. They are on the
Lake Traverse Reservation The Lake Traverse Indian Reservation is the homeland of the federally recognized Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, a branch of the Santee Dakota group of Native Americans. Most of the reservation covers parts of five counties in northeastern South Dakota ...
in northeast
South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...
.


Lake Traverse Reservation

The Lake Traverse Reservation and its boundaries were established by the Lake Traverse Treaty of 1867. From 1884 until the 1913, the tribal government was based upon the concept of the Soldier's Lodge. Due to external pressures from federal
Indian agent In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with American Indian tribes on behalf of the government. Background The federal regulation of Indian affairs in the United States first included development of t ...
s and religious
missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...
, as well as internal turmoil, in 1913 the tribe created an advisory committee. It served as the basis of government until 1946. In 1934 the federal government urged the tribe to adopt the provisions of the
Wheeler-Howard Act The Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) of June 18, 1934, or the Wheeler–Howard Act, was U.S. federal legislation that dealt with the status of American Indians in the United States. It was the centerpiece of what has been often called the "Indian ...
, also known as the
Indian Reorganization Act The Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) of June 18, 1934, or the Wheeler–Howard Act, was U.S. federal legislation that dealt with the status of American Indians in the United States. It was the centerpiece of what has been often called the "Indian ...
. By 1946 the tribe had reorganized, establishing the current system of bylaws and elected tribal government at
Agency Village Agency Village is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Roberts County, South Dakota, United States. It is the headquarters of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate and home to Sisseton Wahpeton College. Since 2020, the CDP includes ...
. It gained self-government again as the federally recognized Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux Tribe. The authority was based in the Lake Traverse Treaty of 1867. From 1946 to 2002, the federally recognized tribe was known as the Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux Tribe. For a brief period in 1994, they identified as the Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota Nation. During their 2002 tribal general elections, they approved a measure changing the name to Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, the latter word in the Dakota language meaning "people or nation".


Enrollment and districts

The current enrollment of the tribe is approximately 12,000 members spread among seven districts located across the reservation. There were 9,894 living on the reservation circa 2004. The tribe's districts are: # Agency Village, or A-te-ya-pi-o-ti-tan-ni # Lake Traverse, or Bde--kin-yan # Buffalo Lake, or Can-o-wa-na-sa-pi # Veblen, or He-i-pa # Big Coulee, or I-ya-ka-pta-pi # Long Hollow, or Ka-ksi-za-han-ska # Enemy Swim, or To-ka-ni-we-ya-pi


Treaty of 1851 Traverse de Sioux

On July 23, 1851 the
Treaty of Traverse des Sioux The Treaty of Traverse des Sioux () was signed on July 23, 1851, at Traverse des Sioux in Minnesota Territory between the United States government and the Upper Dakota Sioux bands. In this land cession treaty, the Sisseton and Wahpeton Dakota ban ...
was formed between the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
government, and the (Dakota) Sioux of the Minnesota Territory. The territorial governor,
Alexander Ramsey Alexander Ramsey (September 8, 1815 April 22, 1903) was an American politician. He served as a Whig and Republican over a variety of offices between the 1840s and the 1880s. He was the first Minnesota Territorial Governor. Early years and fam ...
, and
Commissioner of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal government of the United States, federal agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, Department of the Interior. It is responsible for im ...
, Luke Lea, instigated the treaty to gain concessions of the rich agricultural lands in
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
for European-American settlers. The Sioux ceded large tracts of land, from
Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
north to the Canada–US border. Some bands, such as the Sisseton and Wahpeton, were hesitant to give up so much, yet reluctantly did so; the federal government had shown during the 1825
Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", crosse ...
a willingness to fight when the Indian parties were hesitant to negotiate. Included in the treaty stipulations was a monetary amount of $1,665,000 in cash and annuities, with reservations to be established at the Upper Agency near
Granite Falls, Minnesota Granite Falls is a city located mostly in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota, of which it is the county seat with a small portion in Chippewa County, Minnesota. The population was 2,737 at the 2020 census. The Andrew John Volstead House, a Na ...
and another at the Lower Agency near
Redwood Falls, Minnesota Redwood Falls is a city in Redwood County, located along the Redwood River near its confluence with the Minnesota River, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 5,102 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat. History As the immigr ...
, stretching from 20 miles in width to about 70 miles in length. The Upper Sioux had territory that contained some of their old villages and was more familiar in term of hunting and fishing. The Lower Agency location required the displacement of many Sioux from their traditional woodland areas and did not satisfy them. At the last minute, the government attached a "traders-paper" rider, which allocated $400,000 of the annuities to traders who had claims against the Indians and biracial Indians who would not otherwise share in the benefits, but suffered discrimination in much European-American society. By 1858 Dakota leaders went to
Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
to sign two more treaties, ceding the reservation north of the
Minnesota River The Minnesota River ( dak, Mnísota Wakpá) is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles (534 km) long, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It drains a watershed of in Minnesota and about in South Dakota and Iowa. It ris ...
(whose boundaries had never been approved by the US Congress). The influx of white settlers, the desire for more land by the federal government, along with its failure to pay the total of the promised annuities, the pressure to conform to Christianized ways, loss of hunting and fishing land, and the overall discontent of the Dakota bands would be the catalysts leading to the plains
Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, were fought by European governments and colonists in North America, and later by the United States and Canadian governments and American and Canadian settle ...
, which spanned the next 30 years.


Dakota War of 1862

In August 1862 the unrest among eastern
Santee Santee may refer to: People * Santee Dakota, a subgroup of the Dakota people, of the U.S. Great Plains * Santee (South Carolina), a Native American people of South Carolina Places * Lake Santee, Indiana, a reservoir and census-designated place * ...
bands came to a climax with open combat against settlers in what would be called
Dakota War of 1862 The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, the Dakota Uprising, the Sioux Outbreak of 1862, the Dakota Conflict, the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, or Little Crow's War, was an armed conflict between the United States and several ban ...
, the
Dakota Conflict The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, the Dakota Uprising, the Sioux Outbreak of 1862, the Dakota Conflict, the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, or Little Crow's War, was an armed conflict between the United States and several ban ...
or
Sioux Uprising The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, the Dakota Uprising, the Sioux Outbreak of 1862, the Dakota Conflict, the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, or Little Crow's War, was an armed conflict between the United States and several ban ...
. On August 4, 1862 the Sisseton and Wahpeton bands were able to obtain food and supplies from the Indian agency, but on August 17 the
Mdewakanton The Mdewakanton or Mdewakantonwan (also spelled ''Mdewákhaŋthuŋwaŋ'' and currently pronounced ''Bdewákhaŋthuŋwaŋ'') are one of the sub-tribes of the Isanti (Santee) Dakota ( Sioux). Their historic home is Mille Lacs Lake (Dakota: ''Mde Wà ...
and
Wahpekute The Dakota (pronounced , Dakota language: ''Dakȟóta/Dakhóta'') are a Native American tribe and First Nations band government in North America. They compose two of the three main subcultures of the Sioux people, and are typically divided into ...
bands were denied. The US Indian Agent and
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
State Senator
Thomas J. Galbraith Thomas J. Galbraith (1825–1909) was an American politician. In 1857, he signed the Republican version of the Minnesota State Constitution. Galbraith served in the Minnesota Territorial House of Representatives in 1856. He then served the 18t ...
refused to distribute supplies without having received payment from the Sioux. At a summit to resolve the matter, Dakota leaders asked trader
Andrew Myrick Andrew J. Myrick (May 28, 1832 – August 18, 1862) was a trader, who with his Dakota wife (''Winyangewin''/Nancy Myrick), operated stores in southwest Minnesota at two Native American agencies serving the Dakota (referred to as Sioux at the ti ...
to back their cause. His answer to them was reportedly insulting. His statement outraged the Dakota people. The day before, August 16, annuity monies arrived at St. Paul, Minnesota for distribution and were sent to
Fort Ridgely Fort Ridgely was a frontier United States Army outpost from 1851 to 1867, built 1853–1854 in Minnesota Territory. The Sioux called it Esa Tonka. It was located overlooking the Minnesota river southwest of Fairfax, Minnesota. Half of the ...
on the 17th, but by then it was too late. Historians note actions by four Dakota ''aki-ci-ta'' (warriors) at a settlement at
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, Meeker County, as the beginning of the conflict. A young ''aki-ci-ta'' reportedly stole eggs from a settler, leading to a confrontation in which five white men were killed. Soon violent conflicts erupted elsewhere around the region. Initially the Dakota had victories at the
Battle of Redwood Ferry The Battle of Redwood Ferry took place on August 18, 1862, on the first day of the Dakota War of 1862. Prelude At 10 am on August 18, 1862, word of the attack at the Lower Sioux Agency reached Fort Ridgely. Captain John S. Marsh heard new ...
, their assault on New Ulm, and the
Battle of Birch Coulee The Battle of Birch Coulee occurred September 2–3, 1862 and resulted in the heaviest casualties suffered by U.S. forces during the Dakota War of 1862. The battle occurred after a group of Dakota warriors followed a U.S. burial expedition, incl ...
, as well as minor losses at the
Battle of Fort Ridgely The Battle of Fort Ridgely was an early battle in the Dakota War of 1862. Built between 1853–1855 in the southern part of what was then the territory of Minnesota, Fort Ridgely was the only military post between the Dakota Reservation a ...
, where the European-Americans incurred high losses but won a victory. Sisseton-Wahpeton bands did not participate in the killing of settler families that defined the early conflicts. A majority of the 4,000 members of the two northern tribes opposed the fighting. A large number of Sisseton and Wahpeton had adopted both subsistence farming and Christianity, and had both moral objections and strong reasons of self-interest for keeping peace with the whites. Dakota ''aki-ci-ta'' laid siege to
Fort Abercrombie Fort Abercrombie, in North Dakota, was an American fort established by authority of an act of Congress, March 3, 1857. The act allocated twenty-five square miles of land on the Red River of the North in Dakota Territory to be used for a military ...
for six weeks and disrupted supply lines and shipping from the north and
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, as well as couriers heading to St. Cloud and
Fort Snelling Fort Snelling is a former military fortification and National Historic Landmark in the U.S. state of Minnesota on the bluffs overlooking the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. The military site was initially named Fort Saint Anth ...
. Large-scale combat ended on September 26, 1862 when six companies of Minnesota militia and an artillery unit attacked Dakota positions at the
Battle of Wood Lake The Battle of Wood Lake occurred on September 23, 1862, and was the final battle in the Dakota War of 1862. The two-hour battle, which actually took place at nearby Lone Tree Lake, was a decisive victory for the U.S. forces led by Colonel Henry Ha ...
. Three days later, Dakota forces surrendered at
Camp Release The Surrender at Camp Release was the final act in the Dakota War of 1862. After the Battle of Wood Lake, Colonel Henry Hastings Sibley had considered pursuing the retreating Sioux, but he realized he did not have the resources for a vigorous p ...
, where 269 POWs were released to the troops there led by Col. Henry Sibley. Small-scale skirmishes continued in the following weeks. Historians estimate total casualties at 800 to more than 1,000 civilians and military, but the exact numbers have never been determined. In the wake of the war, the Dakota were severely punished: a US military court convicted 303 men of war crimes and sentenced them to death. Of the 303, the Army hanged 38 men the day after
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
in
Mankato, Minnesota Mankato ( ) is a city in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, Blue Earth, Nicollet County, Minnesota, Nicollet, and Le Sueur County, Minnesota, Le Sueur counties in the state of Minnesota. The population was 44,488 according to the 2020 United States ...
, in the largest mass execution in
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
history. Efforts were undertaken to revoke the treaties, abolish the reservation, and expel remaining Dakota people from Minnesota entirely. Bounties of $25 were put on any Dakota found within the boundaries, with the exception of 208 families of Mdewakanton, who were considered "friendly". Soon after, additional conflicts in what were known as the
Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, were fought by European governments and colonists in North America, and later by the United States and Canadian governments and American and Canadian settle ...
broke out to the south and west, ending finally with the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890 and the defeat of the Sioux. In 1866, the
War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War (1789–1947) See also * War Office, a former department of the British Government * Ministry of defence * Ministry of War * Ministry of Defence * Dep ...
, which then supervised the Indian agents and reservations, appointed
Gabriel Renville Gabriel Renville (April 1825 – August 26, 1892), also known as Ti'wakan (Sacred Lodge), was Chief of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Sioux Tribe from 1866 until his death in 1892. He opposed conflict with the United States during the Dakota War ...
1824–1892, chief scout for General Sibley, as head chief of the Sisseton-Wahpeton bands. In 1867 he was appointed Chief for life by members of the Sissetowan band.


Education

In 1904 the federal government authorized an inter-tribal
boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...
, the Wahpeton Indian School, to be located off-reservation in
Wahpeton, North Dakota Wahpeton ( ) is a city in Richland County, in southeast North Dakota along the Bois de Sioux River at its confluence with the Otter Tail River, which forms the Red River of the North. Wahpeton is the county seat of Richland County. The populat ...
. Opened in 1908, it was run by the
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and A ...
and was the last government-established boarding school to open, as well as one of the last to operate. In 1993, nearly two decades since tribes had been taking back control of their children's education, this school was chartered under the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, whose Lake Traverse Reservation extends into North Dakota. Since the 1970s, many tribes have educated their children on their reservations, but this school serves continuing needs among students for boarding placement. Renamed the Circle of Nations Wahpeton School, it is funded by the
Bureau of Indian Education The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), headquartered in the Main Interior Building in Washington, D.C., and formerly known as the Office of Indian Education Programs (OIEP), is a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior under the Assistant S ...
(BIE), after receiving tribally controlled grant status under Public Law 100-97 (Indian Education Act of 1988). It serves students in grades 4-8. In 1979 the tribe established a
tribal college In the United States, tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) are a category of higher education, minority-serving institutions defined in the Higher Education Act of 1965. Each qualifies for funding under the Tribally Controlled Colleges and Un ...
,
Sisseton Wahpeton College Sisseton Wahpeton College (SWC) is a Public tribal land-grant community college of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate on the Lake Traverse Reservation in South Dakota. It was established in 1979 and serves the Dakota people. SWC has an average enrollmen ...
, on its Lake Traverse Reservation. The
land-grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...
community college now serves about 250 students, of whom more than 80% are Dakota. Initiated as a technical and vocational institution, the college now also offers associate degrees in academic studies. Through arrangements with four-year colleges, students can transfer to complete bachelor's degrees.American Indian Higher Education Consortium
The college established Dakota Studies in 1992 and a Dakota language program in 2005.


Notable members of the tribe

* Bryan Akipa, Native American flute-player *
Angelique EagleWoman Angelique EagleWoman ( dak, Wambdi Awanwicake WasteWin; born 1969) is a Dakota law professor and scholar of Indigenous law. She is a citizen of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation. EagleWoman was the Dean of the ...
, first Indigenous Dean of a Canadian law school, author, and law professor *
Woodrow W. Keeble Woodrow Wilson Keeble (May 16, 1917 â€“ January 28, 1982) (Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate) was a U.S. Army National Guard combat veteran of both World War II and the Korean War. In 2008 he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic act ...
(1917–1982), veteran and
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
recipient *
Gabriel Renville Gabriel Renville (April 1825 – August 26, 1892), also known as Ti'wakan (Sacred Lodge), was Chief of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Sioux Tribe from 1866 until his death in 1892. He opposed conflict with the United States during the Dakota War ...
was a nephew of Red Iron, chief of the Sisseton and Wahpeton, and the last chief of the bands. * Creighton Leland Robertson (1944–2014), Episcopalian bishop and lawyer *
Tamara St. John Tamara St. John is an American politician and a Republican member of the South Dakota House of Representatives representing District 1 since January 8, 2019. With her election, St. John became the first and only Native American Republican woman ...
, tribal archivist, Republican member of the South Dakota House of Representatives *
Kim TallBear Kim TallBear (born 1968) is a Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate professor at the University of Alberta, specializing in racial politics in science. Holding the first ever Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience and Environment, TallBear ...
, Professor at the
University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Rutherfor ...
, specializing in racial politics in science. *
Floyd Red Crow Westerman Floyd Westerman, also known as ''Kanghi Duta'' ("Red Crow" in Dakota) (August 17, 1936 – December 13, 2007), was a Dakota Sioux musician, political activist, and actor. After establishing a career as a country music singer, later in his life ...
(1936–2007), Sisseton Dakota singer and actor from the Lake Traverse Reservation


Notes

:1. The source of the Dakota language names and orthography is the article titled ''
Dakota people The Dakota (pronounced , Dakota language: ''Dakȟóta/Dakhóta'') are a Native American tribe and First Nations band government in North America. They compose two of the three main subcultures of the Sioux people, and are typically divided into ...
''


References


Further reading

* * (self-published)


External links


Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation
official website

tribal newspaper
Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate
South Dakota Department of Tribal Relations
Sisseton Wahpeton Tourism Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Native American tribes in South Dakota Federally recognized tribes in the United States