Chief of the Sioux Nation

Responsible for safety of the group, making

decisions and settling arguments

Who was in charge?

The Sioux Indians did not have written laws. They had a Council instead.

The talking stick was used by

Native Americans to show who had the right to speak.

Who was in charge?

The preferred form of battle was a surprise raid.

On average 20-30 men would go on.

Women very rarely took part in a raid.

Battle

Often went to war because they wanted horses

Could go to war over an insult or a new hunting ground

Beliefs

• The Sioux were very spiritual

• They believed in one god, Wakan Tanka

• People spoke to the spirit world through music and dance.

The Medicine Man was expected to:

• predict the future, • advise the tribe, • cast love spells, • heal the sick• protect the tribe from evil spirits.

When people fell ill, Medicine Men asked the spirits to send down the power to make them well.

Native American Proverb“When we show our

respect for other living things, they respond with

respect for us.”

Health and Medicine

Native American Medicine Wheel

The Native American medicine wheel was used for healing almost any illness.

The Native Americans believe that illnesses are spiritual not physical. To heal illnesses you need to fix your spirituality.

The wheel helped them diagnose an illness and begin curing it.

Health and Medicine

Lifestyle

Lived in houses that were easy to build

They were normally made up of buffalo skin and sticks. They had simple but beautiful art on them.

Indians ate many different kinds of food such as buffalo, corn, nuts, beans and squash.

A wealthy man might have more than one wife.

Polygamy = having more than one wife at the same time

The wife was highly honoured because she did all the work except hunting, fishing and fighting.

She was well treated.

Family Life

The Sioux married young - between 12-15 years old.

Sioux women usually gave birth to around 3 or 4 children

Children did not go to school. They learnt by copying adults.

Family Life

They spoilt their children

The children were rarely punished