North Dakota from the Great Lakes area. The word "Dakota" is a Sioux (Lakota/Dakota) word meaning "allies" or "friends". The primary historic tribal nations in or around North Dakota, are the Lakota and the Dakota ("The Great Sioux Nation" or "Oceti Sakowin," meaning the seven council fires), the Blackfoot, the Cheyenne, the Chippewa (known as Ojibwe in Canada), and the Mandan. The federally recognized tribes have Indian reservations in the state. Social gatherings are known as "powwows" (or wacipis in Lakota/Dakota) continue to be an important part of Native American culture and are held regularly throughout the state. Throughout Native American history,
Native American Women’s Health Education Resource Center became known as the Reproductive Rights Coalition and by 1994 included 150 women from 26 different tribes. In 1991, NAWHERC opened a women's domestic violence shelter. The "Agenda for Native Women's Reproductive Rights", which includes calls for culturally and age-appropriate sex education, affordable health care, reproductive rights and other issues for Native women, is still used in discussions today. NAWHERC runs a domestic violence shelter and has programs for AIDS prevention. They also provide programs about domestic violence, Dakota language and culture, and health and environmental awareness. NAWHERC also runs a hotline. NAWHERC collects information about Native women's health, often