The Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota are related peoples who together form one of the most prominent groups of nations on the Northern Plains. Understanding who they are, and how they are connected, helps correct common misunderstandings and honors the way these peoples understand themselves.
Related peoples, one confederation
The Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota are the main divisions of the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, the Seven Council Fires. Though often grouped together under the outside name Sioux, they are distinct peoples with their own communities, leaders, and dialects, bound by shared language, kinship, and history. The differences among the divisions include dialect and geography, while their ties run deep.
The Dakota peoples are traditionally associated with the eastern part of this world, in the woodlands and prairies; the Lakota with the western Plains; and the Nakota occupying a related position. These are broad descriptions, and the peoples own understanding of their divisions is richer than any brief summary can convey.
Ways of life
Life among these peoples was shaped by their environments. The western Lakota, in particular, became renowned as horse-mounted buffalo hunters of the open Plains, following the great herds across a wide homeland. Eastern communities drew on the resources of woodlands, lakes, and prairies. Across all divisions, kinship, generosity, and community were central values, and rich traditions of story, ceremony, and governance flourished.
A present-tense people
It is essential to speak of the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota in the present tense. These are living peoples, not figures of the past. Today they live in many communities and nations across the northern United States and into Canada, maintaining their governments, languages, and cultural traditions while participating in contemporary life.
Efforts to revitalize the language, to teach the young, and to sustain ceremony and community are vigorous and ongoing. The resilience of these peoples through generations of hardship is a defining part of their story.
Central to treaty history
The Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota were central to the treaties at Fort Laramie and to the long struggles over land and rights that followed. Understanding them as distinct, living nations is essential to understanding that history with accuracy and respect. To read more, see our articles on the Seven Council Fires and language revitalization today, or explore the tribal perspectives category.
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