Warrior Images and Peacemaking Traditions: Strategies for Survival among the Southern Siouan Tribal Nations

This article examines the role war and peace played in the lives of the Southern Siouans, also known as the Dhegihan and the Five Cognate Tribes. These five tribal nations—the Omaha, Ponca, Osage, Kansa (Kaw), and Quapaw—share close linguistic ties, and share similar cultural and historical traditions. The article demonstrates that peacemaking was always more important than war and that ideal conditions included thriving children in a peaceful society. The emphasis on children is also reflected in treaty negotiations between the Five Cognate Tribes and the US government. The article explores two peacemaking institutions, the sanctuary lodge and the intertribal adoption ceremony. Both show that the Southern Siouans went to great effort to prevent warfare. The article suggests that it was actually European Americans who glorified war and made the feathered bonnets of war chiefs and warriors the face of Great Plains tribal nations. It gives evidence that certain features of the modern powwow, especially the Grand Entry, where warriors lead a procession of dancers, reflects an accommodation to European American warrior values. While the sanctuary lodge is no longer used, the adoption ceremony is practiced in public and private settings and continues to be a unifying force in Native communities.