Chapter 9Cut arrived at the Mead ten days later, well ahead of my expectations. Once he bathed and ate, he told me what he’d learned. By virtue of numbers and ferocity and military prowess, the Sioux dominated these plains. They were a large nation of seven divisions speaking three dialects—Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota. The Teton, a Lakota-speaking tribe, claimed its own sub-branches, among them, the Oglala, Hunkpapa, and Siconjou. While the whites used Sioux as overarching names for these proud People, they referred to themselves as the Seven Council Fires. As was true of most tribes, they did not speak with one voice.
Cut and Badger visited several different fires and found the Sioux no better prepared to deal with the situation than the Yanube. The round bellies, while cautious, were agi
