The Dakota were famous for their writings; myths, legends, stories, and poems were among many things written by them. Often times their literature was originally a story passed on through oral tradition, and eventually written down or paraphrased. Literature was about anything from the creation of a tribe to a story intended to teach or entertain young children. More often than not a poem or story was written to teach a lesson or explain why something is the way it is. Take, for instance, the story “How the Sioux came to Be” this story explains how the Indian tribe believed they came into existance. Even though these stories might seem far-fetched to us, to the Dakota they were very real and believable. As you can tell we can learn a lot about about what the Dakota valued and believed through their literature.
By: Claire Cunningham
