Note VIII-3 — Chapter VIII · ETHNOGRAPHY OF THE MISSISSIPPI.[VIII-1]

Folding Table F of the orig. ed., facing p. 66 of the App. to Pt. 1, with a part of it, which the printer could not get on the sheet, overrun as p. 66 of the main text, headed "Recapitulation." In the present ed. this overrun piece is drawn into the table, which, as now printed, can be set unbroken on two pages facing each other.

For the modern scientific classification of the Siouan linguistic family in general, and of the Dakotas or Sioux in particular, see my ed. of Lewis and Clark, 1893, pp. 94-101, and pp. 128-130. As that work is or should be in the hands of all good Americans, the subject need not be traversed here. Taking that article as a modern norm or standard of comparison, it may be useful to give here the classification and nomenclature of the Sioux which was adopted by Major Long, who was next in the field after Pike with an account of these Indians, Keating, I. 1824, chap. viii., p. 376 seq. The Dacota, he says, means the allied, who in their external relations style themselves Ochente Shakoan, which signifies the nation of seven (council-) fires, represented by the following septenary division which once prevailed: 1. Mende Wahkantoan, or People of the Spirit lake. 2. Wahkpatoan, or People of the Leaves. 3. Sisitoan, or Mia Kechakesa. 4. Yanktoanan, or People of the Ferns. 5. Yanktoan, or People descended from Ferns. 6. Titoan , or Braggers. 7. Wahkpakotoan, or People that shoot at Leaves. Of these Long has it that No. 1 was the Gens du Lac of the French, and Nos. 2-6 were all included in the Gens du Large of the F. traders, i. e., People "at large," roving bands of prairie Sioux. But the French had other terms, especially Gens des Feuilles for No. 2, and Gens des Feuilles Tirées for No. 7. Comparing Long with Pike, we find: Long's No. 1=Pike's No. 1. Long's No. 2=Pike's No. 2. Long's No. 3=Pike's No. 3. Long's Nos. 4 and 5=Pike's No. 4, with his two divisions. Long's No. 6=Pike's No. 5. Long's No. 7=Pike's No. 6. Such a concordance as this deserves a red-letter mark, considering how seldom authors have agreed upon Sioux; and Pike is entitled to the credit of establishing the seven main tribes. In his census, to be compared with Pike's, Long gives total lodges, 2,330; warriors, 7,055; souls, 28,100: see Pike's Abstract, on pp. 346, 347. These are distributed by Long as follows: No. 1, 160—305—1,500. No. 2, 120—240—900. No. 3, 130—260—1,000; to which add for the Kahra (Pike's Cawree) band of Sissetons, 160—450—1,500. No. 4, 460—1,300—5,200. No. 5, 200—500—2,000. No. 6, 900—3,600—14,440. No. 7, 100—200—800. To which add for various stragglers 100—200—800, making total of lodges, warriors, and souls, as above. Long estimated the revolted Stone Sioux, Haha, or Assiniboines at 3,000—7,000—28,100, or almost precisely the same as all the other Sioux together. Long's interesting particulars of the 14 bands which he recognizes, by dividing his No. 1 into seven and separating the Kahras from the other Sissetons, may be thus summarized: No. 1. Mende-Wahkantoan: (1) Keoxa; pop. 40—70—400; chief Wapasha, Wabasha, La Feuille or Leaf; two villages, one on Iowa r., other near Lake Pepin; hunt both sides of the Miss. r. near the Chippewa r. and its tributaries. Keoxa means "relationship overlooked"; i. e., they inbreed closer than other Sioux. (2) Eanbosandata, so called from the vertical rock on Cannon r.; pop. 10—25—100; chief Shakea; two small villages, one on the Miss. r., other on Cannon r.; hunt on the headwaters of the latter. (3) Kapoja, signifying light or active; one village (at the Grand Marais or Pig's Eye marsh near St. Paul); pop. 30—70—300; chief, the celebrated Chetanwakoamene, Petit Corbeau, or little Raven, who visited Washington in July, 1824; hunt on St. Croix r. (4) Oanoska, meaning great avenue; chief Wamendetanka or War Eagle, formerly dependent on Petit Corbeau; one village (Black Dog's) on the St. Peter, S. side, near the mouth; pop. 30—40—200; hunt on the Miss. r. above Falls of St. Anthony. (5) Tetankatane, meaning Old Village; the oldest one among the Dakotas; 400 lodges there when Wapasha's father ruled the nation; Wapasha formerly lived there, but moved away with most of his warriors; those that stayed chose a new leader from amongst themselves, whose son Takopepeshene, the Dauntless, now rules; pop. 10—30—150; village on the St. Peter, 3 m. above its mouth; hunt on this and Miss. r. (6) Taoapa; one village on the St. Peter; pop. 30—60—300; chief Shakpa, whose name means Six, is third in the nation, ranking next after La Feuille and Petit Corbeau; hunt between the Miss. and St. Peter. (7) Weakaote, a small band dependent on (6); pop. 10—10—50. No. 2. Wahkpatoan, or Gens des Feuilles; name said to mean "people that live beyond those that shoot at leaves," i. e., higher up the river than the Wahkpakatoan; hunt near Otter Tail Lake; chief Nunpakea, meaning "twice flying." No. 3. Miakechesa or Sisitoan: (a) Sissetons proper; no fixed abode; chief rendezvous, Blue Earth r.; hunt buffalo over to the Missouri; live in skin tepees; their chief Wahkanto, or Blue Spirit, by hereditary right. (b) Kahra or Wild Rice Sissetons; no fixed abode; Lake Traverse and Red r.; skin lodges; follow chief Tantankanaje, Standing Buffalo, hereditary, but also a warrior. No. 4. Yanktoanan, the Fern Leaves, an important tribe, pop. one-fifth of the whole nation; no fixed residence; skin lodges; hunt from Red r. to the Missouri; trade at Lake Travers, Big Stone l., and the Shienne r.; principal chief, Wanotan, the Charger. No. 5. Yanktoan, descended from the Fern Leaves; live and trade on the Missouri; hunt on E. side of that river; chief Tatanka Yuteshane, meaning one who eats no buffalo. No. 6. Tetoans, Braggers; by far the most numerous tribe of the Sioux, by some said to compose one-half of the nation; rove between St. Peters and the Missouri; trade on both rivers; live in skin lodges; hostile, great boasters; their chief Chantapeta, or Heart of Fire, a powerful warrior. No. 7. Wahkpakotoan, a name rendered by Long "'Shooters at Leaves,' which they mistake for deer." No fixed abode; rove near head of the Cannon and Blue Earth rivers; skin lodges; their last leader Shakeska, White Nails, who died in 1822; he rose to his station by his military ability. They have a regular hereditary chief Wiahuga, the Raven, acknowledged as such by the Indian Agent; but he became disgusted with the behavior of his tribe, and withdrew to Wapasha's. Long agrees with Pike in giving this band a bad name as a lawless set. Pike says they were mere vagabonds, and refugees from other tribes on account of misdeeds. These Sioux were also called Gens des Feuilles Tirées and Leaf Shooters. In the Lewis and Clark schedule they formed the Ninth tribe of Sioux, named Wahpatoota, or Leaf Beds. A queer form of the name is 8apik8ti=Ouapikouti, on one of Joliet's maps.

The earliest form of the word Sioux is believed to be Naduesiu, derived from Jean Nicolet's journey of 1634-35, as written about five years later in the Jesuit Relations, by Father Le Jeune. The form Nadouessis, pl., is used by Raymbault and Jogues, who were at the Sault Ste. Marie in 1641 (Jes. Rel. of 1642). Nadouesiouek is given in a Relation of 1656, Nadouechiouec, 1660; and soon also Nadouesseronons, Nadouesserons, etc.

An excellent article on the Sioux, entitled Dakota Land and Dakota Life, by Rev. E. D. Neill, occupies pp. 254-294 of the 2d ed. 1872, of Minn. Hist. Soc. Coll., originally published in 1853.