Designed as a major supplementary source for social science teachers in elementary and secondary schools, this booklet presents cultural aspects of the Sioux Nation and the history of their dealings with white settlers and the U.S. government. To demonstrate the cultural diversity within one tribal entity, sketches are included of the culture typical of each of the three major divisions within the Sioux Nation (Dakota, Nakota, and Lakota), each one having been subject to different historical influences and having therefore developed a different version of the Sioux culture. Areas discussed in the sketches are the original territory of each division, economy, shelters, kinship systems, government, dress, design motifs, weapons, music, field games, stories, ceremonies, burial practices, and current location. The importance of the pipe in the ritual life of the Sioux is also discussed. Questions, activities, discussion ideas, photographs, maps, and visual aid sources are included. Of the three divisions of the Sioux Nation, the Lakota are best-known to the non-Native American, and for this reason the history of the Lakota division is presented for the treaty period of 1851-1871, the reservation period of 1871-1889, the allotment period of 1889 to 1934, the reorganization period of 1934 to 1950, and the termination period of 1950 to 1960. (AN)