Here, for countless generations, Dakota people followed the traditional ways of their ancestors.
Living close to the land, they learned how to read nature's signs & developed an intimate understanding of the habitats & growth cycles of plants & animals. The Dakota word for this is Ecalensdonyapi (Ee-cha-kay-doa-stod-yah-pi)-knowing naturally.
Swan Lake
This area was the traditional homeland of two bands of the Eastern Dakota, the Sissetons & Wahpeton. Families from the two bands often blended, & there was a good deal of interchanges between the villages. The largest Sisseton population lived on islands in Swan Lake, about 10 miles of this spot. There they were safe from enemy attack & surrounded by a rich variety of food sources.
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