Dakota

1. Where do the Dakota Indians live? (Tell geographic region by looking at a map.) The Dakota native americans were part of the Sioux nation. They lived in North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota. http://school.eb.com/elementary/article?articleId=345512&query=dakota%20indians&ct=

2. How was the Dakota Indian nation organized? (government) The Dakota (Sioux) Indians had chiefs, but the band council had the final authority. http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/tribes/siouan/dakotahist.htm

3. What were Dakota homes like? The Dakota (Sioux) Indians lived in tipis made of buffalo hide. http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/tribes/siouan/dakotahist.htm

4. What was Dakota clothing like? Sioux women, including the Dakota, wore long dresses made from elkskin or deerskin. The Dakota men wore breechcloth and leggins with buckskin shirts. The Dakota (Sioux) men and women wore moccasins and robes made from buffalo hides. http://www.bigorrin.org/sioux_kids.htm

5. What was Dakota food like in the days before supermarkets? In this forest enviroment the Dakota Indians lived by hunting,fishing,and gathering wild rice. The relied mainly on buffalo for meat. They farmed corn, but depended mainly on buffalo, deer, and elk. They moved along with the buffalo, since that is what provided most of their food. http://school.eb.com/elementary/article?articleId=345512&query=dakota%20indians&ct=

6. What were some Dakota weapons and artifacts? The Dakota Indians used war clubs, bows and arrows, spears, and buffalo hide shields during war time. They used spears and snares when hunting. http://www.bigorrin.org/sioux_kids.htm

7. What was Dakota religion? The Dakota Indians practiced the ritual Sun Dance as one of their ceremonial dances. http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Pa-Sp/Sioux.html

8. What were some other interesting things about your tribe? The Dakota Indians often set fires to control herds of buffalo, or to drive them over cliffs. http://www.bigorrin.org/sioux_kids.htm