North America
CITE
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Sioux. (2022). In Q-files Encyclopedia, History, North America. Retrieved from
https://www.q-files.com/history/north-america/sioux
"Sioux." History, North America, Q-files Encyclopedia, 10 Feb. 2022.
https://www.q-files.com/history/north-america/sioux.
Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.
Sioux 2022. History, North America. Retrieved 19 March 2024, from
https://www.q-files.com/history/north-america/sioux
History, North America, s.v. "Sioux," accessed March 19, 2024.
https://www.q-files.com/history/north-america/sioux
Sioux
Two hundred years ago, the Sioux (pronounced “soo”) people roamed the northern Great Plains of North America. They lived in tribes and hunted buffalo for food and skins. When the herds of buffalo moved on, the Sioux followed them across the Plains. Most Sioux warriors were taught fighting skills from a young age. They were also expected to become clever hunters. Above all, a Sioux warrior had to be brave. Today there are many different tribes within the Great Sioux Nation. The tribes speak one of three language groups: Eastern Dakota, Western Dakota and Lakota.
Sioux warrior
A Sioux warrior’s weapons included a war club (a pointed stone attached to a stick), a spear, or a bow with arrows. His only means of defence was a small shield made of buffalo hide. The Sioux believed in other forms of protection. War paint was thought to be a gift from spirits that would protect the warrior. It was made from roots, berries, bark and moss. A warrior often wore red war paint to symbolize blood and strength.
The Sioux also believed that a painting of a powerful beast, such as a grizzly bear, on a warrior’s shield would carry the animal’s power to the warrior, strengthening him for battle.
On the warpath
A Sioux warrior was determined to defend his people and land. If necessary he would put on warpaint and follow the “warpath” into battle. The phrase "on the warpath" comes from 18th-century European descriptions of the routes taken by Native American warriors as they crossed into another tribe's territory to do battle. A warrior would gain honour through acts of bravery in battle, for which he would be given eagle feathers for his hair, rather like modern soldiers are awarded medals. Eagles were believed to have a special connection with the heavens because they flew so high.
One of the bravest warrior acts was to get close enough to the enemy to touch his arm, shoulder or head with a stick, called a coup stick, without getting killed.
To kill and scalp an opponent was also a great honour. The enemy’s scalp (the skin and hair at the top of the head) was highly prized as it was believed to contain his spirit.
War dance
Before a battle, Sioux warriors danced together, drawing on the power of the “Great Spirit”, called Wakan Tanka in the Sioux languages. Some would wear buffalo robes or other clothes that symbolized strength and bravery. During the dance the spirits were called upon to protect the warriors in the battle that followed.
Buffalo hunters
The Sioux hunted and killed buffalo (more properly called bison) that roamed the prairie grasslands in vast herds. They needed the meat for food and the hides for clothes, bedding and shields. When a herd was found, the Sioux would charge on horseback into its midst. A stampede followed as the hunters fired arrows and threw spears to kill the beasts. If a Sioux fell he was likely to be crushed under the hooves of a giant buffalo.
Living in a tipi
Every Sioux family lived in its own tipi—a tent made from buffalo skins stretched over a frame of poles. It could be put up quickly and then packed away when the tribe moved on. Inside the tipi was a fire for keeping warm and for cooking. Smoke escaped through a hole in the top. Women dried or cooked buffalo meat. They prepared the buffalo skins by scraping them and pegging them out in the sun. The hides were then stretched and rubbed with a paste to make them soft.
Consultant: Philip Parker