Last updated: November 16, 2023
Place
Sisseton Agency Headquarters & Wacipi Grounds
Photograph by Rolene Schliesman, courtesy of the SD SHPO and Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate THPO
Quick Facts
Location:
45744 BIA Hwy. 706, Agency Village, South Dakota
Significance:
Ethnic Heritage - Native American
Designation:
Listed in the National Register - Reference number 100007395
OPEN TO PUBLIC:
No
MANAGED BY:
Private
The Sisseton Agency and Wacipi Grounds in Agency Village, South Dakota was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2022. It is significant as one the most important locations established after the creation of the Lake Traverse Indian Reservation in 1867, including serving as the agency headquarters location from 1869 to 1923, connecting it to a half-century of decision making by and for the Sisseton and Wahpeton people.
The Sisseton and Wahpeton are two bands of the Dakota people who moved freely throughout their land from the years 1780-1850 without contact from the U.S. Army. In 1851, the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux was formed by the Dakota Sioux of the Minnesota Territory and the U.S. government, as an influx of white settlers entered the area. Tensions rose until they reached a peak during the Dakota War of 1862, leading to an even greater seizure of land from the Dakota people. Because most of the Sisseton and Wahpeton had not fought against the United States in the war, the U.S. government agreed to a treaty in 1867 to set up the Lake Traverse Indian Reservation to serve as a buffer against the more hostile Dakota bands.
Benjamin Thompson was appointed the first agent for the reservation, and by virtue of his role served as an individual authorized by the government to interact with tribes on its behalf. The Sisseton-Wahpeton Agency was responsible for education, health, land allotments, travel restrictions, employment, and Christianization/assimilation. In many cases, agents were allowed to enforce federal government policies by withholding food and supplies, prohibiting Tribal languages and customs, and removing children from their families and sending them to boarding schools. By the early 1900s, the role of the "Indian agent" was eliminated by the Roosevelt administration - however, the agency continued to use its original headquarters until 1923, when it moved to the city of Sisseton.
From the time of the establishment of the reservation through today, the grounds have also served as the location of Wacipi (also known as pow-wow) celebrations. Despite the federal government's desire to suppress traditional Indigenous practices in the late 19th century, the reservation's first chief Gabriel Renville convinced the government to allow the Sisseton-Wahpeton people to gather at this site for religious ceremonies, dancing, feasting, and singing on one day a year - the Fourth of July. A century and a half later, the grounds have played host to many, many other gatherings and celebrations - whether agricultural fairs, rodeos, or traditional song and dance competitions.
The Sisseton and Wahpeton are two bands of the Dakota people who moved freely throughout their land from the years 1780-1850 without contact from the U.S. Army. In 1851, the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux was formed by the Dakota Sioux of the Minnesota Territory and the U.S. government, as an influx of white settlers entered the area. Tensions rose until they reached a peak during the Dakota War of 1862, leading to an even greater seizure of land from the Dakota people. Because most of the Sisseton and Wahpeton had not fought against the United States in the war, the U.S. government agreed to a treaty in 1867 to set up the Lake Traverse Indian Reservation to serve as a buffer against the more hostile Dakota bands.
Benjamin Thompson was appointed the first agent for the reservation, and by virtue of his role served as an individual authorized by the government to interact with tribes on its behalf. The Sisseton-Wahpeton Agency was responsible for education, health, land allotments, travel restrictions, employment, and Christianization/assimilation. In many cases, agents were allowed to enforce federal government policies by withholding food and supplies, prohibiting Tribal languages and customs, and removing children from their families and sending them to boarding schools. By the early 1900s, the role of the "Indian agent" was eliminated by the Roosevelt administration - however, the agency continued to use its original headquarters until 1923, when it moved to the city of Sisseton.
From the time of the establishment of the reservation through today, the grounds have also served as the location of Wacipi (also known as pow-wow) celebrations. Despite the federal government's desire to suppress traditional Indigenous practices in the late 19th century, the reservation's first chief Gabriel Renville convinced the government to allow the Sisseton-Wahpeton people to gather at this site for religious ceremonies, dancing, feasting, and singing on one day a year - the Fourth of July. A century and a half later, the grounds have played host to many, many other gatherings and celebrations - whether agricultural fairs, rodeos, or traditional song and dance competitions.