The Sioux /ˈsuː/ are a Native American tribe and First Nations band government in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects. The Sioux comprise three major divisions based on Siouan dialect and subculture: the Santee, the Yankton-Yanktonai, and the Lakota.The Santee (Isáŋyathi; "Knife"), also called Eastern Dakota, reside in the extreme east of the Dakotas, Minnesota and northern Iowa.