Lakota Sioux Indians

The Lakota Indians are one of the subtribes of the Sioux Indians, and they have lived in a variety of modern states throughout history. Today, the vast majority of Lakota Sioux Indians live either in North or South Dakota, though the dynamic history of the tribe has caused many tribal members to still live in former territories of the tribe. First fully studied from an anthropological perspective by Lewis and Clark, President Thomas Jefferson had much interest in the tribe both due to its intricate political organization and because of the positive prospect of possible trade between the tribe (which possessed many important resources) and the United States. When the Lewis and Clark expedition first made contact with the Sioux tribes, the relations were relatively tense; due to the stark differences in language and culture, both parties often found it difficult to clearly communicate their viewpoints which resulted in multiple misunderstandings. Multiple times before Lewis and Clark could meet with the chiefs of the Lakota Sioux tribe, each party misinterpreted actions from the other party in a hostile fashion, and these multiple misunderstandings likely played a role in making negotiations between the leaders of the expedition and the leaders of the Lakota Sioux tribe heated and largely unsuccessful.

As in many American Indian tribes, family plays a very important role in the daily life of the Lakota Sioux Indian tribe, although familial traditions and relations are interpreted in a different way than in most established western nations. Whilst many countries such as the United States consider families as relatively small units – often consisting of parents and children – the Lakota Sioux tribe’s nature of living together and moving together has created very large families which stay together. Often, families consist of hundreds of members – a child in the Lakota Sioux tribe is likely to spend much of their time playing both with their cousins and siblings, and they are often cared for by aunts, uncles and grandparents in addition to their parents. In essence, these large families make living in the Lakota Sioux tribe much more communal. By living in large family groups, unlike what is seen in countries such as the United States and UK, members of the Lakota Sioux tribe form strong bonds within their extended family. The very flexible interpretation of families and the large families in existence in the Lakota Sioux culture allow for a “safety net” to be present for children. Because large families with children from many different parents often live together or in close proximity, children whose parents have died in the Lakota Sioux tribe are quickly adopted by aunts and uncles. Unlike in countries such as the USA, the transition to having different parents is not as painful for children in the Lakota Sioux tribe and the larger family network is generally more connected and its members more supportive of each other.

Given the long evolution of the Lakota Sioux tribe and the fact that these communities remain relatively close-knit and small, the education systems used in the past and present by the tribe most often are analogous to a modern-day homeschool co-op. Instead of having fixed institutions, such as schools, created for children within the Lakota Sioux tribe, children are generally taught in a much more flexible way with different topics being explained by different adults from the tribe. Often, those who cannot contribute to physically laborious tasks in the tribe dedicate themselves to teaching the children of the tribe, so elder members of the tribe are often the equivalent of “teachers” in a school in a country such as the United States. Children often learn outdoors from many different adults in their tribe, often focusing primarily on practical subjects. Whilst the education system in countries such as the USA or UK largely centers on studying more “abstract” subjects such as mathematics, science or literature, children in the Lakota Sioux tribe often learn things or more practical importance. As part of their education, children in the Lakota Sioux tribe often study how to hunt, how to treat other members of the tribe or how to make herbal medicines. By utilizing “teachers” who are often the elders in the tribe, the Lakota Sioux Indians can make sure that cultural traditions (including the Sioux language) are passed on through generations.

The Lakota Sioux tribe has a dynamic religion which is comprised of various beliefs, traditions, practices and myths. Much like Buddhist cultures, members of the Lakota Sioux tribe believe that everything on Earth (including inanimate objects) has a spirit, which leads members of the tribe to be careful to treat natural objects around them with much respect. As can also be seen throughout most other American Indian tribes, the members of the Lakota Sioux tribe are careful to only kill the animals which they eat, and they are careful not to waste any of the parts of the animals which they kill. In combination with its emphasis on respecting objects, animals and plants because they have spirits, the Lakota Sioux Indian religion places emphasis on a variety of values which tribal members should abide by. Amongst these values are respect, tolerance, kindness and generosity, and an appreciation of these values is instilled throughout the education of children in the tribe. Finally, the Lakota Sioux Indian tribe has many myths which help explain the traditions which they follow today. The Lakota Sioux Indian mythology is marked by various stories often including fights with other tribes as well as monsters and other beasts which the tribe was able to vanquish in its legendary past.

Given the extremely communal nature of the Lakota Sioux tribe, it is not surprising that the economic system in place is very different from the capitalist economy present in countries like the United States, United Kingdom and Germany. Throughout the tribe, individuals and families rarely own land – instead, the tribe owns shared land and all resources are shared throughout the tribe. Instead of relying on a monetary economy, members of the Lakota Sioux tribe collaborate to produce or gather resources required for the tribe’s survival. In turn, these resources are shared amongst the members of the tribe in a relatively equitable fashion. The economic system of the Lakota Sioux tribe bears many similarities with communist economic systems – in both economic systems, individuals and families only have limited property, and members of the tribe are not paid for their work. In the Lakota Sioux tribe, there is an emphasis on sharing limited resources, and every member of the tribe continues to contribute to help sustain the tribe.

The political system of the Lakota Sioux tribe is relatively democratic, with tribal members congregating regularly to make decisions. Important decisions regarding the overall direction of the tribe and important changes are made by the members of the tribe collectively. In addition, the Lakota Sioux tribe has a chief who acts to execute the overall decisions and directions set by the members of the tribe. Often, the chief of the tribe is chosen by other members of the tribe and is one of the elders of the tribe. Much as the United States President is responsible for executing decisions, the chief is responsible for carrying out the decisions made by members of the tribe.