9/3/2005:
On this date in 1914, Governor Louis B. Hanna proclaimed the area encompassing the Standing Rock Reservation in ND as Sioux County. He intended to name the new county for its tribal members, but the word “Sioux” is not a Native American word. Standing Rock tribal members are descended from Teton and Yankton bands of the Lakota/Dakota, which means friend or ally.
The U. S. government, however, adopted the Chippewa name for these tribes – Nadowesioux, which means little snake or enemy. French trappers who traded with the Chippewa also used the derogatory name, eventually shortening it to Sioux
.Sources:
North Dakota Counties. <http://www.nd.gov/content.htm?parentCatID=83&id=County%20History>
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe: Community Environmental Profile. <http://www.mnisose.org/profiles/strock.htm>
Dakota Datebook written by Merry Helm