Sioux
The
Sioux /ˈsuː/ are a Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects. The Sioux comprise three major divisions based on Siouan dialect and subculture: the
Santee, the
Yankton-Yanktonai, and the
Lakota. The Santee, also called
Eastern Dakota, reside in the extreme east of the Dakotas, Minnesota and northern Iowa. The Yankton and Yanktonai, collectively also referred to as the
Western Dakota or by the endonym
Wičhíyena, reside in the Minnesota River area. They are considered to be the middle Sioux, and have in the past been erroneously classified as Nakota. The Lakota, also called
Teton, are the westernmost Sioux, known for their hunting and warrior culture. Today, the Sioux maintain many separate tribal governments scattered across several reservations, communities, and reserves in the Dakotas, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Montana in the United States; and Manitoba and southern Saskatchewan in Canada.