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 providing emergency contraceptive which the ACLU called a "long overdue and important step toward ensuring that Native American women have equal access to emergency contraceptive care." NAWHERC advocates for Native women's rights across the country, however, its main focus is on the health of Native women living in the Aberdeen area which includes women living in North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska. The group published the "Indigenous Women's Health Book, Within the Sacred Circle: Reproductive Rights, Environmental Health, Traditional Herbs and Remedies" in 2004. "Windspeaker" called the book "well-organized and comprehensive", with issues about women's health written by Native