'Mdewakantonwan' (singular: 'Mdewakanton') are one of the sub-tribes of the Isanti (Santee) Dakota (
Sioux). Their ancestral home is
Mille Lacs Lake in central
Minnesota, which in the
Dakota language was called 'mde wakan' (mystic/spiritual lake).
The Mdewakanton are no longer a single unified Tribe but all their successors inherent ensure their Mdewakanton components survive within their respective communities. In the
United States, the Mdewakanton survive in part on the
Santee,
Flandreau,
Sisseton-Wahpehton, and
Upper Sioux reservations as
Dakota, and on the
Mille Lacs Reservation as
Ojibwe; in
Canada, the Mdewakanton survives as part of the
Sioux Valley Dakota Nation. Mdewakanton-only communities are
Lower Sioux,
Shakopee-Mdewakanton and the
Prairie Island Indian Community in the
United States. The
Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Community is a non-federally recognized Tribe who are currently petitioning the US
Department of the Interior for recognition.
See also
★
Rum River
★
Lake Mille Lacs
★
Mille Lacs Indians
External links
★
Sioux Valley First Nation
★
Shakopee-Mdewakanton Indian Reservation
★
Prairie Island Indian Community
★
Mendota Mdewakanton information
References
★ Williamson, John P. ''An English-Dakota Dictionary'' (New York: American Tract Society, 1902)