
Pre-contact distribution of the Siouan languages
The 'Siouan' (a.k.a. 'Siouan proper', 'Western Siouan') languages are a
Native American language family of
North America. The Siouan family is related to the
Catawban family, together making up the
Siouan-Catawban family. Some authors use the term ''Siouan'' to refer to the Siouan-Catawban family and the term ''Siouan proper'' to refer to the Siouan family.
While the
Lakota,
Dakota, and
Nakota comprise "the
Great Sioux Nation", the language family is much broader and includes "the old speakers", the
Ho-Chunk and their linguistic cousins, the
Crow. The Siouan family also extends back East and down South.
While social migrations have yet to be definitively worked out, linguistic and historical sittings indicate a southern origin of Siouan people, with migrations over a thousand years ago from
North Carolina and
Virginia to
Ohio, then both down the
Ohio River to the
Mississippi and up to the
Missouri, and across
Ohio to
Illinois,
Wisconsin and
Minnesota, home of the
Dakota.
Family division
The Siouan family consists of 17 languages with various sub-languages:
I. Missouri River Siouan (a.k.a. Crow-Hidatsa)
: 1. '
Crow' (a.k.a. Absaroka, Apsaroka, Apsaalooke, Upsaroka)
: 2. '
Hidatsa' (a.k.a. Gros Ventre, Minitari, Minnetaree)
II. Mandan Siouan
: 3. '
Mandan'
::
a. Nuptare
::
b. Neutare
III. Mississippi Valley Siouan (a.k.a. Central Siouan)
: A. Dakotan (a.k.a. Sioux-Assiniboine-Stoney)
:: 4. '
Sioux'
:::
a. Santee-Sisseton (a.k.a. Santee, Eastern Sioux, Dakota)
::::
i. Santee
::::
ii. Sisseton
:::
b. Yankton-Yanktonai (a.k.a. Yankton, Central Sioux, Nakota)
::::
i. Yankton
::::
ii. Yanktonai
:::
c. Teton (a.k.a. Lakhota, Lakota, Western Sioux)
::::
i. Northern Teton
::::
ii. Southern Teton
:: 5. '
Assiniboine' (a.k.a. Assiniboin)
:: 6. '
Stoney' (a.k.a. Alberta Assiniboine)
: B. Chiwere-Winnebago (a.k.a. Chiwere)
:: 7. '
Chiwere' (a.k.a. Ioway-Otoe-Missouria, Ioway-Otoe)
:::
a. Iowa (a.k.a. Ioway)
:::
b. Otoe (a.k.a. Oto, Jiwere)
:::
c. Missouria (a.k.a. Missouri)
:: 8. '
Winnebago' (a.k.a. Hocák, Hochunk, Hochank, Hocangara, Hotcangara, Hochangara)
: C. Dhegiha (a.k.a. Dhegihan)
:: 9. '
Omaha-Ponca'
:::
a. Omaha
:::
b. Ponca (a.k.a. Ponka)
:: 10. '
Kansa-Osage'
:::
a. Kansa (a.k.a. Kanza, Kaw) ''(†)''
:::
b. Osage
:: 11. '
Quapaw' (a.k.a. Kwapa, Kwapaw, Arkansas) ''(†)''
IV. Ohio Valley Siouan (a.k.a. Southeastern Siouan)
: A. Virginia Siouan
:: 12. '
Tutelo'
:: 13. '
Saponi' (a.k.a. Saponey) ''(†)''
:: 14. '
Moniton' (a.k.a.
Monacan) ''(†)''
:: 15. '
Occaneechi'
: B. Mississippi Siouan (a.k.a. Ofo-Biloxi) ''(†)''
:: 16. '
Biloxi' ''(†)''
:: 17. '
Ofo' (a.k.a. Ofogoula) ''(†)''
''(†)'' -
Extinct language
Another view of both the Dakotan and Mississippi Valley branches is to represent them as
dialect continuums.
Genetic relations
Some linguists associate Siouan languages with
Caddoan and
Iroquoian languages in a
Macro-Siouan language family.
See also
★
Siouan-Catawban languages
Bibliography
★ Parks, Douglas R.; & Rankin, Robert L. (2001). The Siouan languages. In R. J. DeMallie (Ed.), ''Handbook of North American Indians: Plains'' (Vol. 13, Part 1, pp. 94-114). W. C. Sturtevant (Gen. Ed.). Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. ISBN 0-16-050400-7.
External links
★
The Siouan Languages Bibliography
★
Siouan languages FAQ
★
Siouan languages mailing list archive
★
Siouan family (Ethnologue)