As you may know, the word ‘Sioux’ is considered to be a slur amongst members of the Oceti Sakowin. It is not our word for ourselves, but rather a name given to us by another nation and perpetuated by the Europeans / Euro-Americans.

You also may have noticed that our official tribe names often contain the word ‘Sioux’ (‘Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe’ for example.) The reason for this is entirely legal. When our treaties were drafted, they were written as an agreement between the US Government and the ‘Sioux Nation.’ For this reason, we cannot fully abandon the name. However, when we’ve had opportunities, we’ve dropped the name in places we can (’Oglala Lakota County,’ for example, a name chosen by the rezidents.)

Simply put, members of the Oceti Sakowin generally don’t refer to themselves as ‘Sioux’ and, if we can’t change it legally, at least we can continue to assert our identity on our terms. So, if you choose to respect that, here’s a quick Oceti Sakowin education guide:

Oceti Sakowin (Seven Council Fires)

Oceti Sakowin (encompasses all language dialects) is the simplest and broadest replacement for ‘Sioux.’ You can use this term if you aren’t aware of the specific language group to which ‘Sioux’ refers. Within the Oceti Sakowin are three main groups, which are further divided into seven subgroups:

Isanti Oyate (Santee — Dakota Dialect)

Ble Wakantunwan (Mdewakanton*) – Spirit Lake

Wahpetunwan (Wahpeton) – Leaf Village

Wahpe Kute Tunwan (Wahpekute) – Leaf Archers

Sinsin Tunwan (Sisseton) – Swamp Village

Wiciyela Oyate (Yankton/Yanktonais — Dakota Dialect ; commonly mislabeled as Nakota* Dialect)

Ihanktunwan – End of Horn Village

Ihanktunwanna – Little End of Horn Village

Tinte Oyate (Tetons — Lakota Dialect)

Tinte Ta Tunwan (Tintatunwan Oceti Sakowin) – Plains Nation

Within the Tinte Ta Tunwan / Tintatunwan Oceti Sakown (#7), there are another seven subdivisions:

Tintatunwan Oceti Sakowin – Lakota

Oglala – Scatters Their Own (Pine Ridge Indian Reservation)

Sicangu – Burnt Thighs (Rosebud Reservation, Lower Brule Reservation)

Hwohwoju
(Mnikiwoju/Mniconjou) – Swamp Plant (Cheyenne River Reservation)

Itazipcola
(Itazipco) – No Bow (Cheyenne River Reservation)

Owohe Nunpa
(Oohenunpa)

– Two Paunch Boiler (Cheyenne River Reservation)

Sihasapa – Black Feet (Cheyenne River Reservation, Standing Rock Reservation)

Hunkpapa – End of Horn (Standing Rock Reservation)

*modern terminology

*In the past, the term Nakota has been applied to the Yankton, but this is a mistake. The Yankton speak Dakota. Nakota speakers are Assiniboine / Hohe and Stoney, who broke off from the Yankton at a time so long ago their language is now nearly unrecognizable to Lakota and Dakota speakers.

Byzantine ideas about eunuchs

typicalacademic:

tiny brain: the capacity to enjoy sex is stored in the balls

In general, medieval authors concluded that if a child were made a eunuch
before his fourteenth year he would not be able to experience sexual pleasure,
though he might engage in passive sexual behavior. Those castrated later in life,
however, might be able to experience sexual pleasure though they could not procreate.
“Eunuchs do not experience sexual desire because both passages for the seed are destroyed. […] Boys do not have sexual desire for the following reason: their veins are narrow and full [or engorged] and cannot ejaculate the seed, and irritation [or stimulation] similarly does not happen.”

glowing brain: heat is stored in the balls

Aristotle believed that vital heat was produced by the heart, but he also argued that it was retained by the sperm and stored in the sexual organs. Stored sperm then acted as a reservoir and source of heat for the male body, a source that should never be wasted. […] In the course of explaining the importance of heat and cold, he tells us that during sexual intercourse blood and its attendant warmth is withdrawn from the male brain and concentrated in the genital region. As a result the brain, which tends to be cool in any case, is chilled. The long-term result of this chilling of the brain and scalp is that the hair follicles of the scalp die, resulting in baldness. Children and eunuchs do not have intercourse, and as a result they have full heads of hair.

galaxy brain: wisdom teeth are stored in the balls

Theophilos Protospatharios, an author of Byzantine medical texts of uncertain date, explains that eunuchs, if castrated before fourteen years of age, are, like women, lacking in wisdom teeth. This is an old idea, dating from the writings of Aristotle and Pliny.