Indigenous Peoples of South Dakota

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) established several field agencies in South Dakota to administer Indian programs on eight different reservations. Various Sioux tribes lived on those reservations, including the Santee, Teton (Brule and Oglala), Yankton, and Yanktonnais. Other Indian tribes who lived in South Dakota in the early nineteenth century included the Arikara, Cheyenne, Omaha, and Poncas.

Tribes and Bands of South Dakota
Arapaho, Arikara, Blackfeet, Burle (Sioux), Cheyenne (Northern), Dakota, Gros Ventre, Hunkpapa, Keyauwee, Kiowa, Loafer,Mandan, Minneconjou, Natchez, Oglala, Northern Oglala, Omaha, Pedee, Ponca, red Cloud Band, red Leaf Band, Saluda, Santee Sioux, Sewee, Shakori, Shawnee, Siouan, Sisseton Sioux. Sissipahaw, Sugaree, Brule teton Sioux. Black Pape Sioux, Sioux, Sutaio, Wahzhaghe, Thankton, two Kettle, Waccamaw, Wahpeton, Wateree, Waxhaw, Winnebago, Winyaw, Wowakita, Yamasee, Yankonai (Upper and Lower)

Reservations
Reservations in bold are current Indian reservations in South Dakota.

Cheyenne River Reservation

Crow Creek Reservation

Flandreau Reservation

Grande River Reservation

Lake Traverse Reservation

Lower Brule Reservation

Pine Ridge Reservation or Wowakita Reservation

Rosebud Reservation (before 1878 Spotted Trail)

Sisseton Reservation

Spotted Trail Reservation

Standing Rock Reservation (before 1875 Grande River)

Wowakita Reservation

Yankton Reservation

Records
The Family History Library has 130 microfilms of BIA records from the Cheyenne River, Pine Ridge, Rosebud, Sisseton, Standing Rock, and other agencies. These include birth, marriage, death, adoption, census, school, land allotment, probate, military, and miscellaneous records. Most of the records were created between 1870 and 1970.

These records are listed in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under NATIVE RACES and other subjects such as CENSUS, VITAL RECORDS, and LAND AND PROPERTY. You will also find records listed in the subject section of the Family History Library Catalog under the names of the tribe, such as SIOUX INDIANS.

The original BIA records are at the National Archives—Central Plains Region at Kansas City, MO (see Archives and Libraries Section above for address).