Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate
Encyclopedia
The Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation, formerly Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe/Dakota Nation, is a federally recognized tribe comprising two bands and two sub-divisions of the Isanti or Santee Dakota people. They are located on the Lake Traverse Reservation in northeast South Dakota
.
s and the missionaries, 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, also known as the Indian Reorganization Act
. By 1946 the tribe had reorganized, establishing the current system of bylaws and elected tribal government at Agency Village. 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 1946-2002, 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".
was formed between the United States
government, and the (Dakota) Sioux of the Minnesota Territory. The territorial governor, Alexander Ramsey
, and Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Luke Lea, instigated the treaty to gain concessions of the rich agricultural lands in Minnesota
for European-American settlers. The Sioux ceded large tracts of land, from Iowa
north to the Canadian 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
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
and another at the Lower Agency near Redwood Falls, Minnesota
, 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 mixed bloods 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. to sign two more treaties, ceding the reservation north of the Minnesota River
(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
, which spanned the next 30 years.
bands came to a climax with open combat against settlers in what would be called Dakota War of 1862
, the Dakota Conflict or Sioux Uprising. On August 4, 1862 the Sisseton and Wahpeton bands were able to obtain food and supplies from the Indian agency; however, on the 17th the Mdewakanton
and Wahpekute bands were denied. The US Indian Agent and Minnesota
State Senator Thomas J. Galbraith refused to distribute supplies without having received payment from the Sioux. At a summit to resolve the matter, Dakota leaders asked trader Andrew Myrick
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
on the 17th, but by then it was too late. Historians note actions by four Dakota aki-ci-ta (warriors) at a settlement at Acton
, 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
, their assault on New Ulm
, and the Battle of Birch Coulee
, as well as minor losses at the Battle of Fort Ridgely
, where the European-Americans incurred heavy losses in their victory there.
Dakota aki-ci-ta laid siege to Fort Abercrombie
for six weeks and disrupted supply lines and shipping from the north and Canada
, as well as couriers heading to St. Cloud
and Fort Snelling. 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
. Three days later, Dakota forces surrendered at Camp Release, 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
, in the largest mass execution in United States
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
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
, then supervising the Indian agents and reservations appointed Gabriel Renville
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.
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
.
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 agentIndian agent
In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with Native American tribes on behalf of the U.S. government.-Indian agents:*Leander Clark was agent for the Sac and Fox in Iowa beginning in 1866....
s and the missionaries, 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, also known as the Indian Reorganization Act
Indian Reorganization Act
The Indian Reorganization Act of June 18, 1934 the Indian New Deal, was U.S. federal legislation that secured certain rights to Native Americans, including Alaska Natives...
. By 1946 the tribe had reorganized, establishing the current system of bylaws and elected tribal government at Agency Village. 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 1946-2002, 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 SiouxTreaty of Traverse des Sioux
The Treaty of Traverse des Sioux was a treaty signed on July 23, 1851, between the United States government and Sioux Indian bands in Minnesota Territory by which the Sioux ceded territory. The treaty was instigated by Alexander Ramsey, the first governor of Minnesota Territory, and Luke Lea,...
was formed between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government, and the (Dakota) Sioux of the Minnesota Territory. The territorial governor, Alexander Ramsey
Alexander Ramsey
Alexander Ramsey was an American politician. He was born near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.Alexander Ramsey was elected from Pennsylvania as a Whig to the U.S. House of Representatives and served in the 28th and 29th congresses from March 4, 1843 to March 4, 1847...
, and Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Luke Lea, instigated the treaty to gain concessions of the rich agricultural lands in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
for European-American settlers. The Sioux ceded large tracts of land, from Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
north to the Canadian 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
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict fought in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans headed by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis, and Kickapoos known as the "British Band" crossed the Mississippi River into the U.S....
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, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,070 people, 1,344 households, and 806 families residing in the city. The population density was 890.5 people per square mile . There were 1,472 housing units at an average density of 427.0 per square mile...
and another at the Lower Agency near Redwood Falls, Minnesota
Redwood Falls, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,459 people, 2,266 households, and 1,389 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,167.1 people per square mile . There were 2,377 housing units at an average density of 508.2 per square mile...
, 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 mixed bloods 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. to sign two more treaties, ceding the reservation north of the Minnesota River
Minnesota River
The Minnesota River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles long, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It drains a watershed of nearly , in Minnesota and about in South Dakota and Iowa....
(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
Indian Wars
American Indian Wars is the name used in the United States to describe a series of conflicts between American settlers or the federal government and the native peoples of North America before and after the American Revolutionary War. The wars resulted from the arrival of European colonizers who...
, which spanned the next 30 years.
Dakota War of 1862
In August 1862 the unrest among eastern SanteeSantee
Santee may refer to:Places:* Santee, California* Santee, Nebraska* Santee, South Carolina* Santee River in South Carolina* Santee Education ComplexPlumbing:...
bands came to a climax with open combat against settlers in what would be called Dakota War of 1862
Dakota War of 1862
The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, was an armed conflict between the United States and several bands of the eastern Sioux. It began on August 17, 1862, along the Minnesota River in southwest Minnesota...
, the Dakota Conflict or Sioux Uprising. On August 4, 1862 the Sisseton and Wahpeton bands were able to obtain food and supplies from the Indian agency; however, on the 17th the Mdewakanton
Mdewakanton
Mdewakantonwan are one of the sub-tribes of the Isanti Dakota . Their historic home is Mille Lacs Lake in central Minnesota, which in the Dakota language was called mde wakan .As part of the Santee Sioux, their ancestors had migrated from the Southeast of the present-day United States, where the...
and Wahpekute bands were denied. The US Indian Agent and Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
State Senator Thomas J. Galbraith 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 Myrick
Andrew J. Myrick , was a trader with an Indian wife who operated a store in southwest Minnesota near the Minnesota River in the late part of his life.-Claim to fame:Myrick worked at the Lower Sioux Agency to the southeast...
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
Fort Ridgely was a United States Army outpost near the Dakota reservation in southwestern Minnesota . Built between 1853–1855, it played an important role in the Dakota War of 1862...
on the 17th, but by then it was too late. Historians note actions by four Dakota aki-ci-ta (warriors) at a settlement at Acton
Acton Township, North Dakota
Acton Township is a township in Walsh County, North Dakota, United States....
, 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
Battle of Redwood Ferry
The Battle of Redwood Ferry was a battle in the Dakota War of 1862.-Description:News reached Captain John S. Marsh at Fort Ridgely that the Lower Sioux Agency had been attacked on August 18, 1862....
, their assault on New Ulm
New Ulm, Minnesota
New Ulm is a city in Brown County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,522 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Brown County....
, and the Battle of Birch Coulee
Battle of Birch Coulee
The Battle of Birch Coulee occurred September 2, 1862 during the Dakota War of 1862. After the Battle of Fort Ridgely and the Battle of New Ulm, Colonel Henry Hastings Sibley was planning to punish the Sioux and to obtain the release of the settlers they were holding captive...
, as well as minor losses at the Battle of Fort Ridgely
Battle of Fort Ridgely
Fort Ridgely was built in 1851 in the territory of southern Minnesota. It wasn't much of a fort, but it was the only military post between the Sioux Reservations and the settlers. On August 18, 1862, the Lower Sioux Agency in Renville County, Minnesota, was attacked by Indians...
, where the European-Americans incurred heavy losses in their victory there.
Dakota aki-ci-ta laid siege to Fort Abercrombie
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 in Dakota Territory to be used for a military outpost, but the exact location was left to the discretion of...
for six weeks and disrupted supply lines and shipping from the north and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, as well as couriers heading to St. Cloud
St. Cloud, Minnesota
St. Cloud is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest population center in the state's central region. The population was 65,842 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Stearns County...
and Fort Snelling. 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
Battle of Wood Lake
The Battle of Wood Lake was a battle in the Dakota War of 1862 in September. By that time in the Dakota War of 1862, the Sioux offensive had slowed considerably, and the Minnesota forces were beginning to implement a plan formulated by Governor Alexander Ramsey...
. Three days later, Dakota forces surrendered at Camp Release, where 269 POWs were released to the troops there led by Col. Henry Sibley
Henry Hastings Sibley
Henry Hastings Sibley was the first Governor of the U.S. state of Minnesota.-Early life and education:...
. 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
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, in the largest mass execution in United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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
Indian Wars
American Indian Wars is the name used in the United States to describe a series of conflicts between American settlers or the federal government and the native peoples of North America before and after the American Revolutionary War. The wars resulted from the arrival of European colonizers who...
broke out to the south and west, ending finally with the Wounded Knee Massacre
Wounded Knee Massacre
The Wounded Knee Massacre happened on December 29, 1890, near Wounded Knee Creek on the Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, USA. On the day before, a detachment of the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment commanded by Major Samuel M...
in 1890 and the defeat of the Sioux.
In 1866, the War Department
United States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
, then supervising the Indian agents and reservations appointed Gabriel Renville
Gabriel Renville
Gabriel Renville was Chief of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe from 1866 until his death in 1892. As part of a large fur-trader family of French and Sioux origins, he was an unlikely candidate as Chief of the Sisseton-Wahpeton. However, with the coming of the Dakota War of 1862, his fortunes...
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.
Notable members of the tribe
- Mazasa (Red Iron) was the first chief of the Sisseton and Wahpeton.
- Gabriel RenvilleGabriel RenvilleGabriel Renville was Chief of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe from 1866 until his death in 1892. As part of a large fur-trader family of French and Sioux origins, he was an unlikely candidate as Chief of the Sisseton-Wahpeton. However, with the coming of the Dakota War of 1862, his fortunes...
was a nephew of Red Iron, chief of the Sisseton and Wahpeton. - Woodrow W. KeebleWoodrow W. KeebleMaster Sergeant Woodrow Wilson Keeble was a U.S. Army National Guard veteran of both World War II and the Korean War...
, a Medal of HonorMedal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipient. - Floyd Red Crow WestermanFloyd Red Crow WestermanFloyd "Red Crow" Westerman, also known as Kanghi Duta was a Sioux musician, political activist and actor. After establishing a career as a country music singer, later in his life, he became a leading actor depicting Native Americans in American films and television. He is sometimes credited simply...
, actor, was from the Lake Traverse Reservation.
External links
- Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation, official website
- Sota Iya Ye Yapi, tribal newspaper
- Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, South Dakota Department of Tribal Relations