Seven large tribes made up the Sioux Nation -
Wdewakanton, Sisseton, Teton, Wahpekute, Wahpeton, Yankton, and Yanktonai.
Village
Councils: Each village had a village council. Each
village council selected a chief. A chief served for life. In olden times,
women had no say in government.
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All the adult men in a village were members of the
Village Council.
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The Village Council was divided into parts. Within
the Council, men broke up into smaller groups. Each group had a job to
do. One group might be in charge of law and order. Another might be in
charge of village festivals.
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The Council elected a chief.
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Once a chief was elected, the chief assigned each
group a responsibility. One year, the chief might assign one group the
job of making sure people obeyed the laws of the tribe. The next year,
the chief would assign that job to a different group. This made sure
that no one group became more powerful than another.
Tribal Councils: Tribes
were made up of several villages. Each tribe had a tribal council. Each
tribe had a chief. Again, jobs were assigned to smaller groups within
the council. This made sure that no one group took dominance in the
decisions of the tribal council.
Seven Fires Council: The
Seven Fires Council was the top governing group. This Council made decisions
for the entire Sioux Nation. The Seven Fires Council was composed of all
seven tribal chiefs, one from each of the seven tribes. Chiefs brought
helpers with them, but the actual "seat" at the council was
reserved for chiefs only.
Today: Today,
the Sioux live on reservations. They have reservation governments. Each
reservation has its own Tribal Council. The council chairperson has a
similar job as did the Sioux chiefs in olden times. Like the Sioux tribal
chiefs did once, the chairperson - he or she - helps make decisions for all
the Sioux people.
