The History and Culture of the Spirit Lake Dakota
A new social society was established on most of the Seven Council Fire reservations circa 1900. The name of this new organization was called Ticketless, a name referring to ration tickets.
Rationing supplies is not a new idea among Indians. When food was scarce, they had a rule – everyone eats or no one eats. There were no stores or relief agencies, no food meant no food. If the situation turned fatal as was the case when the bison disappeared, so it was. On the Chandler – Pohrt Winter Count for the year 1836 is recorded as the “year when the Sisseton’s Starved to death”.
When the Indians settled on reservations, the United States Government established a rationing system. Each head of family was given a ration ticket sized about two by three inches (One Feather). On the printed ticket was written in pen the number of people in a particular family and a place to punch when rations were received. The people were admonished not to lose the ticket. Some wore them around their neck suspended on a thong; others made a little pouch to keep them in. In nearly every collection of historic Plains Indian artwork are little flat, beaded bags that contain a ration ticket.
This system of rationing continues today in the government surplus commodity program, as well as civic, and church backed food banks. The head of the family fills out the required paperwork and is issued a ‘ticket’ if they are deemed eligible to receive the rations or as they are called today ‘comods.’ Now as in the past some of the food is sold to purchase ‘non-essential’ items such as auto supplies, alcohol, and candy. One hears old stories of food supplies thrown away because their preparation was unknown to the recipient. I remember in the 1980’s bulgur was given out at the Spirit Lake commodity program. It was thrown away, or sold for animal feed because its use was unknown.
In 1867 a treaty was signed in Washington, D.C. establishing two reservations for the Sisseton and Wahpeton Dakota. One was located at Lake Traverse (Sisseton, SD) and other at Devils Lake (Spirit Lake) ND. Sometime later it was discovered the Cut-head band of Yanktonai Dakota owned the Spirit Lake area and they too were included as residents of the reservation. Section eight of the “Treaty with the Sioux – Sisseton and Wahpeton bands -1867” (Kappler 1971:( 2) 956-959) reads:
“All expenditures under the provisions of the treaty shall be made for agricultural improvement and civilization of the members of said bands authorized to locate upon the respective reservations as here before specified, in such manner as may be directed by law; but no goods, provisions, groceries, or other articles – except materials for the erection of houses and other articles to facilitate the operations of agriculture – shall be issued to Indians or Mixed-bloods on either reservation, unless it be in payment for labor performed or produce delivered: provided, that when persons located on either reservation by reason of age, sickness, or deformity, are unable to labor, the Agent may issue clothing and subsistence from such supplies as may be provided for said bands.”
As with any people some are more ambitious than others. The progressive Yanktonai on the Spirit Lake Reservation, formed themselves into a group which separated from the ration system. They raised enough through agricultural pursuits to feed and clothe their families without government assistance. The one thing they did not give up was their culture.
On the ninth of September 1979 while visiting with Mrs. Dennis (Susie) Cavanaugh she told me her parents [Blackfox] were members of the Ticketless Society headquartered in the Crow Hill District of the Spirit Lake Reservation. She said that Mrs. John Guy (Emma) Adams grandparents were also members [Takes Wood}. A man by the name of Two Children was the leader of the society.
The bi-laws were that as a member you could not accept government help. You had to be self-sufficient. If you gave something away, you were not expected to receive a return gift. If you did receive back a gift then you could not keep it but give it immediately to someone else.
“I was a little girl and I gave [through my parents] a visiting Ojibway man a horse.
This visitor gave me a beautiful floral beaded dancing outfit. My parents told me to give it away, so I handed out items as I walked back to my place in the dancing circle, but I kept the belt. I didn’t want to give it up, but my grandmother took it from me and gave it away with some cloth to a visitor” Mrs. Cavanaugh said.
When the Ticketless Society met, they simply danced in place as the songs were rendered. Most of the songs were honor songs, followed by the customary giveaways. Naturally a feast was served as well as speeches by the leaders postulating their ticketless ideas.
On March 9, 1980 Tom and Julia Siyaka told me more information. The No Tickets met near the Episcopal Church at Crow Hill. The children of Takes Wood, Pemmican and his sister Hits Many had two large log homes with a porch built between them. This is where the No Tickets met. They didn’t dance but stood in place and moved in time to the hard – soft drum beat. No dance clothes were worn. They always had nice food at their gatherings. (Part 2 will be featured Feb. 6 in the DLJ)
