In North America the territory of the Lakota, Nakota and Dakota Nation covers some 200,000 km in the present day state of South Dakota and neighbouring states. The total number of native North Americans is approximately 1,5 million, of which around 100,000 are Lakota. They reside near the Sacred Black Hills of South Dakota. Traditionally, the Lakota hunted buffalo. Today, the economy is based on agriculture, cattle, sheep ranches, fishing and tourism.
Natural resources are gold, silver, oil, ore and shale.
The country s largest gold mine is in the Black Hills, which is being mined against the wishes of the indigenous Lakota. The US signed the First First Laramie Treaty with several indigenous Nations, which formally recognised the Lakota as being entitled to a huge tract upon their sacred land and that Indians were an independent political community which possess sovereignty. Despite the Treaty, the clash between the Lakota people and the invaders continued. The Second Fort Laramie Treaty was signed and secured traditional Sioux territories. After that, the Treaty was almost immediately violated and Euro-American exploitation went on in full strength.