Mni Sota, according to the oral histories of many, has been Dakota homeland for thousands of years. "Dakota” is a word for “ally” and is most likely a reference to the Oceti Ŝakowiŋ
(Seven Council Fires)—or main political units—of the Dakota people. The name "Sioux" has also been used for Dakota people. The Ojibwe (Anishinaabe) called the Lakota and Dakota "Nadouwesou" meaning "adders," or possibly referring to "the people of the snaking river" or "people like snakes in the grass." French newcomers mispronounced this name, calling the nation "Sioux."