From: The Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples/Aboriginals: Siouans/Mary C. Marino
The pre-contact political organization of the Dakota entailed organization in semi-sedentary villages or nomadic bands with chieftainship which tended to be hereditary. Political relations with neighbouring tribal groups alternated between friendly alliance and intermittent warfare. The Dakota have a long-standing tradition of hostile relations with neighbouring Algonquians, especially the Ojibwa. This still finds expression in a somewhat deprecating attitude towards Algonquians.
The Canadian Dakota have been notably more conservative in the preservation of traditional beliefs and practices than their American relatives. This has been due partly to their relative isolation on small, scattered reserves and partly to their unique political status as descendants of a group considered to be non-indigenous. On the other hand, having received relatively little assistance from the Canadian government, the Dakota have enjoyed a large degree of selfdetermination.
Surrounded by large populations of Algonquian speakers, the Nakota in Saskatchewan have exhibited somewhat different patterns of group maintenance. Like their counterparts in Alberta who adhered to Treaty Seven, the Nakota of Saskatchewan have been engaged in efforts to obtain their treaty rights, particularly improvements to their land base, and these efforts have also influenced their relations with their aboriginal neighbours.
