ISNATI | To Become Responsible Women In The Society, Girls Of The Sioux Tribe Spend 4 Days & 4 Nights Away From Their Families

The Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota is a federally recognized tribe of Yankton Western Dakota people, located in South Dakota.

Their Dakota name is Ihanktonwan Dakota Oyate, meaning “People of the End Village.”

Historically, the tribe were the protectors of the sacred Pipestone Quarry for the Oceti Sakowin. The tribe maintains a free-ranging bison herd.

The tribe’s headquarters are in Wagner, South Dakota and it is governed by a democratically elected non-IRA tribal council. Its original constitution was ratified in 1891.

It is the only Dakota/Lakota tribe in South Dakota that did not agree to comply with the Indian Reorganization Act and retains its traditional government.

Officially, the Yankton Sioux Tribe are called “Ihanktonowan Dakota Oyate” in the local dialect.

The Yankton Sioux, or Dakota people, adopted a unique tribal symbol on September 24, 1975. With minor alterations, this symbol serves as a seal, logo, and flag.

In Yankton Sioux/Ihanktonwan Oyate Reservation, girls who’ve had their first period go through a four-day coming of age ceremony.

The group of girls raise up a teepee where they will live together throughout the four-day festivities.

They cannot touch food or drink and must, instead, be fed by mothers and other women in the “moon camp.”

Activities throughout the four days include gathering herbs, fruits, and wildflowers, learning how to make ceremonial food like dried buffalo beef jerky.

The older women also get to teach them ceremonial songs and beading techniques, and most importantly, they give serious talks about s3x, modesty, relationships, pregnancy, and mental health.

On the last day, each girl spends time with her mother or an auntie in the tipi. The older woman bathes the girl in sage water and talks to her about her birth, her young days — and her future.

The four-day activity is usually taken up by organizations with the right people to talk to the girls about just anything that might be bothering them and to prepare them for the future.

In the late afternoon, dressed in their ribbon dresses, moccasins, and beaded regalia, the girls are introduced to the community as women.

More than 90 girls have taken part in the Isanti Awica Dowanpi Coming of Age Ceremony in the Ihanktonwan territory over the past 13 years with the help of the Brave Heart Women’s Society to guide them all through.