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Lake Traverse Indian Reservation

Coordinates: 45°36′44″N 97°08′29″W / 45.61222°N 97.14139°W / 45.61222; -97.14139
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Lake Traverse Indian Reservation
Indian reservation
Location in North Dakota and South Dakota
Location in North Dakota and South Dakota
TribeSisseton Wahpeton Oyate
CountryUnited States
StatesNorth Dakota
South Dakota
CountiesRichland
Sargent
Codington
Day
Grant
Marshall
Roberts
HeadquartersAgency Village
Government
 • BodyTribal Council
 • ChairmanJ. Garret Renville
 • Vice-ChairmanLexie Fancher-Lincoln
 • SecretaryCurtis Bissonette
Population
 (2024)[1]
 • Total
14,800
Websiteswo-nsn.gov

The Lake Traverse Indian Reservation is the homeland of the federally recognized Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, a branch of the Santee Dakota group of Native Americans.[2] Most of the reservation covers parts of five counties in northeastern South Dakota, while smaller parts are in two counties in southeastern North Dakota, United States.[3][4] Its largest community is the city of Sisseton, South Dakota.

As of 2019, the reservation had an estimated population of 11,095.[5]

History

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The reservation was created by treaty on April 22, 1867 A.D. and called the Flatiron Reservation, in reference to its triangular shape.[6] It was created for the "friendly Dakota" from the Minnesota hostilities of 1862-1866. Signatories of the treaty were Gabriel Renville, John Otherday, and twenty-one other Sisseton and Wahpeton leaders.[6] Gabriel Renville was the first chief of the reservation.

Geography

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The reservation covers 108,589 acres.[7] Over 60% of its land area lies in Roberts County, South Dakota, but there are lesser amounts in Marshall, Day, Grant and Codington counties in South Dakota,[7] as well as Sargent and Richland counties in North Dakota.

Government

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The reservation is governed by a seven-member council, one member elected from each district:[8] Big Coulee (Iyakapta), Buffalo Lake (Can Onasa Bde), Enemy Swim (Toka Nuwan), Lake Traverse (Bde hda Kinyan), Long Hollow (Kaksize Hanska), Old Agency (Ate Yapi Tipi), and Veblen (Heipa). Councilmembers serve two-year terms.[9]

The executive committee comprises a chairman, vice-chairman, and secretary.[10]

The tribal headquarters are located in Agency Village, South Dakota.[7]

Economy

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Major employers include the Dakota Sioux Casino, the Sisseton Wahpeton tribal government, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.[7]

Education and media

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Sisseton-Wahpeton College was established in Agency Village in 1979.[4] The newspaper Sota Iya Ye Yapi ("smoke signals") is published weekly.[11]

Notable people

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Communities

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References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lake Traverse Indian Reservation.
  1. ^ "Tribal Council". Retrieved 2019-07-24.
  2. ^ "Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux Tribe". Aktá Lakota Museum & Cultural Center. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  3. ^ "Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation". SWO. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  4. ^ a b "Providing Guidance to the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe on the Lake Traverse Reservation". FEMA. Archived from the original on 2025-02-02.
  5. ^ "Lake Traverse (Sisseton-Wahpeton) Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land" (PDF). South Dakota Department of Tribal Relations. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2025-02-26.
  6. ^ a b History of Sioux Indians, Chapter XXXVI, SOUTH DAKOTA GENEALOGY TRAILS [1]
  7. ^ a b c d "Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux Tribe". South Dakota Department of Tribal Relations.
  8. ^ "Seven Districts". SWO. Archived from the original on 2025-03-05. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  9. ^ "Revised Constitution and Bylaws of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe, South Dakota". narf.org. Archived from the original on 2023-12-01. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  10. ^ "Tribal Executives". SWO. Archived from the original on 2025-03-04.
  11. ^ "Sota Iya Ye Yapi ([Agency Village, S.D.]) 19??-????". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Archived from the original on 2025-02-13. Retrieved 2025-04-15.

45°36′44″N 97°08′29″W / 45.61222°N 97.14139°W / 45.61222; -97.14139

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