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,
Sterilization of Native American women minimum one fourth of the Native Americans child bearing individuals were unable to become pregnant if they were able and wanted to. The decline in birth rate was a quantifiable effect however, sterilization also impacted individuals psychologically and socially. Within Native American culture a woman's fertility along with the family unit are greatly valued. For a woman to be unable to bare children would cause shame, embarrassment and possible condemnation from the individuals tribe due to how Native American peoples view motherhood. These emotions could have been exacerbated due to Native American's deep cultural roots that are based on the