Santee Sioux Nation, Nebraska

The Santee Sioux, “frontier guardians of the Sioux Nation,” is a Native American nation living in Knox County, Nebraska. The Sioux, translating to “enemy” in the Crow language, has long been the colloquial designation of the Dakota-speaking people. Traditionally the Dakotas lived near the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, traveling along the Minnesota-Wisconsin border to the Rocky Mountains in the west, a land-base of over 100 million acres. Treaties in 1851 and 1854 divided the Mdewakantons, Wahpekutes (Santees), Sissetons, and Wahpetons on reservations in Minnesota. During the Sioux War of 1862 the Dakota people were ethnically cleansed from their homelands, some moving to Canada, Montana, and Nebraska. In 1866, the Santee “Sioux” emigrated from Nebraska to South Dakota, while others stayed. Forming a government in 1875, the Santee Sioux organized their Nebraska communities, but in 1885 allotment created a confined land-base with small farming plots. Their land base fell from 72,468 acres in the 1930s to 5,811 acres by 1950. Currently, the Santee Sioux nation have a population of approximately 2,660 members, with a land base of 10,198 acres. They own the Ohiya Casino and Resort.

“Indian Affairs | Winnebago.” Accessed September 10, 2016. http://www.bia.gov/WhoWeAre/RegionalOffices/GreatPlains/WeAre/Agencies/Winnebago/index.htm.

“Nebraska: Santee Sioux Reservation - American Indian Relief Council.” Accessed September 10, 2016. http://www.nrcprograms.org/site/PageServer?pagename=airc_res_ne_santeesioux.

“Ohiya Means WIN! - Ohiya Means Win - Ohiya Casino & Resort.” Accessed September 10, 2016. http://ohiyacasino.com/.

“Santee Sioux Nation - Home.” Accessed September 10, 2016. http://santeesiouxnation.net/home.html.

“Tribes and Nations (Intro)- American Indian Histories and Culture- Adam Matthew Digital.” Accessed September 29, 2016. http://www.aihc.amdigital.co.uk/FurtherResources/TribesAndNations