The Tetons are perhaps the best known of all the Sioux. They may be regarded as the "typical" Plains Indian: they lived in tipis, hunted buffalo on horseback, and were involved in numerous battles with other tribes and with Euro-Americans, including the Red Cloud wars of the 1860's, the Custer battle of 1876, and the Wounded Knee massacre of 1890.

After migrating from their original home lands in Minnesota, this constituent of the Seven Fireplaces adapted to a Plains environment, an adaptation which lasted for 150 years and ended with their political subjugation at Wounded Knee and their final retirement to reservations in North and South Dakota, Montana, and Saskatchewan. As the Tetons migrated onto the Plains, groups of extended families fused with others to form what have conventionally been called bands or subbands. Other, larger groups splintered, some members joining other extant bands or forming new ones. This pattern of fusion and fission was not unlike that described for the Eastern villages. Just as the Santees followed prominent chiefs and subchiefs in their semi-sedentary haunts, the Tetons similarly based group affiliation on the prowess of one or more men who were adept at hunting and warfare.

Teton, of course, is a collective term. The straggling groups of Westerners who entered upon the Plains aligned themselves in such a way as to replicate the original structure of the Seven Fireplaces. These seven subdivisions, with an etymological analysis of their native names, are as follows:

1. Oglala is conventionally glossed "they scatter their own" (from the reflexive form of okala [o, 'in or on'; kala, 'to scatter as grain']. Okala means 'to scatter in or on, e.g. to sow grain; pour out into; sow; plant'. Properly, oglala means "to scatter one's own."

2. Sicangu is derived from sican, 'thigh' and gu, 'burned, scorched, branded' and is conventionally glossed as "Burned Thighs." This group is also known in the literature by the French term, Brulé. The Oglalas and Sicangus were the first of the Tetons to enter upon the Plains, and for some time remained together as a unit.

3. Hunkpapa is usually translated as "Campers at the Horn, or End of the Camp Circle," and is derived from a reduplicated form of hunkpa, 'entrance to a camp'. Compare this with Hunkpatina (the term for the Lower Yanktonais) and Ihanktunwan. Both hank and hunk are variants of ihanke, 'end'. Pa means "head," hence the entrance to a camp circle is metaphorically both the end and head of a camp.

4. Mnikowoju, also spelled Minneconjou in the literature, is usually glossed "Planters beside the Stream." It is derived from mni, 'water'; ki, a prefix indicating that an action takes place in the middle, or between something (compare kiyuksa, 'to break in half'); and oju, 'to plant'.

5. Itazipco signifies "No Bows," or "Without Bows," and is derived from itazipa, 'bow' and cola, 'without'. This group is also known in the literature by the French term, Sans Arcs.

6. Oohenunpa is usually translated as "Two Kettle" or "Two Boilings," and is derived from (w)o, noun prefix; ohan, 'to cook, boil, specifically something that can be cooked at once in one pot'; and nunpa, 'two'.

7. Sihasapa is glossed "Blackfoot," always with the caveat that it should not be confused with the Algonquian Blackfeet. It is derived from si, 'foot'; ha, 'hide, skin'; and sapa, 'black'.

The latter five divisions of the Tetons followed the Oglalas and Sicangus onto the Plains and remained together for some time, occupying areas north of the Oglalas. They are sometimes referred to collectively as the Saones, an orthographic corruption canoti, 'wood'; o, 'in'; ti, 'to dwell', or 'forest dwellers'.

Although the native terms related to the Santees are obviously toponymic names which describe or identify the original villages, the origins of Teton names are obscure. The most common story about the origin of the name Oglala, one that is still told, is that two chiefs quarreled, one insulting the other by throwing dirt in his face. This caused the followers of the two to go separate ways.

Yet historically, the Oglalas did not emerge until 1700, when they were encountered by Le Sueur at a trading fair at the mouth of the Minnesota River. Le Sueur called these people Ojalespoitan, Village Divided into Many Small Bands. Le Sueur was probably attempting to spell the Santee version of Oglala (Ohdada) or the Yankton (Okdada). Fortunately, his translation of "Village divided into Many Small Bands" is more useful than his attempt to orthographize the Siouan. Le Sueur did not make any reference to the Sicangus at that time, and Hyde accounts for this by stating that they simply did not exist under that name until after 1750. It is reasonable to speculate that possibly the "apocryphal myth" which accounts for the establishment of the Oglalas might indeed have been an altercation between the Oglalas and Sicangus, since they migrated together.

Although there is some disagreement over when the Oglalas first obtained horses (about 1750), it is evident that when the scattered groups of people first reached the Great Bend of the Missouri River, they were on foot, carrying their meager belongings on their backs and on dog travois. They first came into contact with the powerful Arikaras, who numbered some twenty thousand, and who had already adapted to an equestrian life. According to the Sioux traditions of this period, they were alternately friendly and hostile to the Arikakra, and it was from those riverine Caddoan-speakers that the Sioux first obtained horses.

The Strength of the Arikakas prevented the Oglalas from making any westward advances until an epidemic of smallpox struck the former, reducing their numbers drastically. The Oglalas crossed the Missouri about 1775, and by that year, according to their own traditions documented by means of winter counts (waniyetu iyawapi [waniyetu, 'winter'; i, 'with, by means of'; yawipi, 'they count'; i.e., pictographic calendars]) reached the Black Hills, there engaging in battle with the Kiowas and Crows and, finally extirpating the two tribes from the region.

Lewis and Clark met the Oglalas in 1804 and identified two "bands," the True Oglala and the Siyos ("prairie chickens"). The latter band, however, later joined the Sicangus. Wissler cites the report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs for 1875, which gives four Oglala divisions: the "Ogallallas, Kiocsies, Onkapas, and Wazazies." Wissler's own investigations led him to believe that the Oglala "tribal government was composed of the Oglala, Kiaksai, Oyuhpe, and Wazazies, (the latter of which) according to Two Crow...were but a subdivision of the Kiaksai while the fourth division was the Pahabyapi."

Schoolcraft lists six Oglala bands for 1850, but he neglects to include the Kiyaksas (Wissler's Kiaksai, Kiocsies), who are known to nave been established at this time. His six are the True Oglala; Minisha, or Red Water Band; Old Skin Necklace Band; Peshla, or Short Hair Band; Night Cloud Band; and Red Lodge Band. Hyde himself records seven subdivisions of the Oglalas for 1879, the year in which the Sioux were placed on reservations. He lists the following: Payabsa (Wissler's Pahabyapi); Tapishlecea; Kiyuksa (Wissler's Kiaksai, Kiocsie); Wazhazha (Wissler's Wazazies); Iteshicha; Oyukhpe (Wissler's Oyuhpe); and Waklukhe. Hyde comments, interestingly, "Thus by 1850 the Oglalas had a camp circle of the ideal Sioux type, consisting of seven bands."

Rivalry between leaders was not uncommon. When faced with survival, it is likely that the people chose leaders who exhibited strength in hunting and warfare. But as the lives of the Oglalas and others were increasingly manipulated by traders and military men, it appears that petty jealousies based on popularity became more common. Hyde relates an interesting story about hostility between two rival chiefs, one also recorded by Francis Parkman during his stay among the Oglalas and by Dr. Charles A. Eastman. The story concers Bull Bear and Smoke, two leaders with extensive followings around 1840.

Apparently, Bull Bear was a tyrannical chief who had an on-going feud with Smoke. The feud reached a crisis when local traders encouraged the latter to challenge the former. One day, Bull Bear stationed himself in front of his newly acclained riveal and demanded that Smoke come out and fight. When Smoke did not appear, Bull Bear in a fury stabbed the chief's horse and left for his won camp. Smoke made no immediate response, but later he and his friends, including Red Cloud, devised a plan to retaliate, and waited. In the autumn of 1841 Bull Bear happened upon Smoke's camp on the Chugwater, a few miles from Fort John. An abundance of liquor had been provided by ;the traders, and the warriors from each band began arguing. Bull Bear attempted to stop the fight, but was instantly shot down as he emerged from his lodge. A wild fight ensued in which Red Cloud's brother, Yellow Lodge, and six other warriors were killed, and many more were wounded. According to winter counts, this event created a division in the tribe, and forty years later on the reservation, the two divisions were still known as the Bear People, after Chief Bull Bear, and the Smoke People.

It is worthwhile to note here that in addition to reaching the ideal Sioux type of social organization based on seven subdivisions (like the Yaktons and Yanktonais), the Oglalas also divided into two major sections, later to be known as the Northern and Southern Oglalas.

1. Payabya is derived from pa, 'head' and yabya, 'to cause to go toward'. It is glossed as "pushed aside" by Hyde, who states that they were almost destroyed by Red Cloud and his band of Itešica in 1864-1874. According to Reraca, the Payabyas were originally called Hunkpatilas and were under the leadership of Old Man and Young Man Afraid of His Horses. He attributes the change of name to the Itešicas. John Colhoff, translated the name of the division as "head of the circle," which is closer to the original Lakota.

2. Tapišleca is derived from tapi, 'liver' and šleca, 'split'. Hyde glosses it as "Split Liver" and acknowledges that it was also known as Shkopa (škopa, 'curved, bent'). Colhoff translates it as "Spleen" (the term for spleen is in fact "split liver"), and identifies its leaders as Yellow Bear and White Bird.

3. Kiyaksa is from ki, prefix that indicates action takes place in the middle, between; ya, instrumental prefix indicating that action takes place by means of the mouth; biting, chewing, speaking, singing; ksa, to sever, cut'. Hyde spells it Kiyuksa and glosses it as "breaks his own," "Cut-off," and "Bit-the-Snake-in-Two," and states that it refers to the breaking of a marriage custom. "Bit-the-Snake," he suggests, comes from a woman;s test of virginity. Feraca also spells it Kiyaksa and glosses it as "Cut Band." Kiyaksa is best glossed as "to divide by speaking," which is in keeping with Feraca's "breakers of the rule." Buechel states that the name Kiyaksa came from the custom of relatives intermarrying in this division. Both forms, Kiyaksa and Kiyuksa, are in current usage. According to Hyde, these three bands constituted the half of the tribe under Bull Bear. They settled on Medicine Root Creek on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

4. Wajaje is an interesting appellation for an Oglala division. It is a Siouan word but not Lakota, and is the term used by the Osages to identify themselves. It has often been translated as "snake," but is probably a cognate to the Lakota wocaje, 'class, kind' (from wo, 'noun prefix, and caje, 'name'). They are regarded as a people who settled between the Bear and Smoke People.

5. Itešica is from ite, 'face' and šica, 'bad'. This is Red Cloud's original band. The name is said to be derived from their manner of painting their faces for war. "Bad Faces" is the accepted gloss.

6. Oyuhpe is the verb oyuh'pe, 'to throw down, away'. Hyde translates "throw down or where they lay down their packs." Feraca and Colhoff gloss it as "Untidy," which is acceptable. This band was under the leadership of Red Dog and Big Road.

7. Wagluhe is derived from wa, noun prefix, and gluge, 'to pick or gather up scraps from the floor'. Buechel also identifies this division as the Loafer Band of the Oglalas and glosses the name as "to live with one's wife's relatives, to be a hanger-on." Most authorities agree that the proper gloss is "Loafers." The term seems to refer to the Oglalas who hung about Fort Laramie looking for handouts. A number of mixed-blood Oglalas (ieska) belonged to this division.

The last three bands constituted the second half of the Oglalas, those under Chief Smoke.

Hyde states:

These seven bands of 1879 were made up of little camps, each with its own name. Among these obscure bands were the formerly proud true Oglala, now not considered important enough to have a place of its own in the tribal circle. Some of these little bands had formerly been strong and prominent, like the True Oglala. Leadership either made or ruined an Oglala band. An unimportant little camp with a strong leader would surge suddenly to the front, draw strength from the other bands and for a time lead the tribe, only to sink back into obscurity when a younger warrior from some other camp pushed the older leader aside and took his place.