Minnesota is home to a variety of Native American cultures. One tribe, the Anishinabe, number as the third largest in the continent of North America, and have played a huge role in the history of the state. The tribe is distinguished both for its crops of wild rice and their skill in constructing canoes. Their name, Anishinabe, means “first men,” but they are more commonly known here in the U.S. as the Chippewa. Their home territory was located primarily in the region of the Great Lakes, of which Lake Superior was the most populated.

The other main tribe in the state is the Dakota, which means “friends” in their language. They may also be known by their other common name of the Sioux, which is derived from the way that French explorers and traders in the area spoke their name. Within the Dakota nation, there are three separate groups: the Nakota, Lakota and Dakota. They lived primarily in the northern section of Minnesota and also along the shores of the Mississippi River in its upper portion. The divisions occurred over time and each group went its own way within the territory. Though separated, they still remained binded together as a group.

In the past, relations with the United States were very strained as treaties were often made and broken with regularity with the tribes. The Dakota were especially rebellious against government interference in their lands and lives, eventually rising up against it. This led to the U.S.-Dakota War that occurred around 1862. They eventually lost not only their land but were also forced to move to allow settlers to come into the area.

Today, these tribes are still present in the state and live on federally protected lands known as reservations. Here, the generations continue to preserve their culture and heritage by passing it on to their children.