What it is not is a voluntary offer or an open settlement negotiation.

It is a judgment that was awarded, appropriated, and left uncollected — because the Sioux tribal governments determined that collection would cost them something more important than the money itself.

The Nine Nations — And Why There Is No Single Voice

One of the most important things to understand about the Black Hills dispute is that the Sioux Nation is not a single entity with a single spokesperson.

The term “Sioux” covers a broad and diverse group of nations, bands, and communities.

The Lakota (or Teton Sioux), the Dakota (or Santee Sioux), and the Nakota (or Yankton and Yanktonai Sioux) are distinct groups with distinct languages, though related, and distinct political and governmental structures.