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, Brule (Sioux), Cheyenne (Northern), Dakota, Gros Ventre, Hunkpapa, Keyauwee, Kiowa, Loafer,Mandan, Minneconjou, Natchez, Oglala (Sioux), 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, Yankton (Sioux) Yanktonai (Upper and Lower)

Four Bands of Lakota Sioux: Minnecoujou, Two Kettle, Sans Arc, and Blackfoot

Sioux Tribes: Cheyenne River, Crow Creek, Flandreau Santee, Lower Brule, Oglala, Rosebud, Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, Standing Rock and Yankton

Reservations in bold are current Indian reservations in South Dakota.

Cheyenne River Reservation: Federal, under jurisdiction of the Cheyenne River Agency, Tribe: Sioux

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: Oglala Sioux

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

References

Hodge, Frederick Webb. Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of Ethnology, Bulletin #30 1907.

Swanton, John W. The Indian Tribes of North America. Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin #145 1984

ISBN: 0 8063 1730 2     LC 2002117802

Agencies of the Bureau of Indian Affairs

 * Cheyenne River Agency
 * Crow Creek Agency
 * Pierre Agency
 * Pine Ridge Agency
 * Rosebud Agency
 * Sisseton Agency
 * Whetstone Agency 1871-1874
 * Yankton Agency, 1859-1876

Schools

 * Chamberlain School
 * Flandreau School 1906-1937 (Family History Library film 1017424 )
 * Holy Rosary Mission School
 * Hope School
 * Indian Training School
 * Oglala Boarding School
 * Oglala Lakota College, near Kyle, four year accredited
 * Pierre School (record group 75 roll 167 Family History Library 1205162 )
 * Rapid City School (Family History Library film 1204882)
 * Sisseton-Wahpeton College.
 * Springfield School

In addition to government schools for the Native Americans, several churches established educational institutions for them. Among them were:


 * Catholic Mission Schools (Family History Library has some rec)
 * Protesant Mission Schools (Family History Library has some rec)

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.

Major James McLaughlin records 1855-1937 1st film 0541380

Central Superintendency of Indian Affairs 1813-1878 108 films M 856 1st film 1602893

Dakota Superintendency 13 films M1016 1st film 1549632

1880 Rosebud Census and 1886 - 1842 Supplemental Vital records M 59 1st film 0573847

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).

= See Also =

South Dakota_Church Records

South Dakota_History

South Dakota_Military Records

Category:South_Dakota