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, Blackfoot, 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: Federal, under jurisdiction of the Cheyenne River Agency, Tribe: Bands of Lakota Sioux: Minnecoujou, Two Kettle (Oohenunpa), Sans Arc (Itazipco and Blackfoot (Si Sapa)

Crow Creek Reservation: Federal, under jurisdiction of the the Crow Creek Agency, Tribe: Sioux

Flandreau Reservation: Federal, under jurisdiction of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Agency, Tribe: Flandreau Santee Sioux

Grande River Reservation

Lake Traverse Reservation

Lower Brule Reservation: Federal, under jurisdictiton of the Lower Brule Agency, Tribe: Sioux

Pine Ridge Reservation or Wowakita Reservation: Federal, under jurisdiction of the Pine Ridge Agency, Tribe: OglalaSioux

Rosebud Reservation (before 1878 Spotted Trail): Federal, under jurisdiction of the Rosebud Agency, Tribe: Sioux

Sisseton Reservation

Spotted Trail Reservation

Standing Rock Reservation (before 1875 Grande River)

Wowakita Reservation

Yankton Reservation:Federal, under jurisdiction of the Yankton Agency, Tribe Yankton Sioux

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).