Frontier Lives – Historical Character
Chaska – Lakota Akicita
Chaska – Akicita
They call me Chaska. I serve my people as Akicita—a role many translate as “warrior,” but it is more than battle. I ride ahead to scout the way, I stand watch when others sleep, and I keep order so the circle of our camp can live in peace.
“Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ” — all my relations. We live with respect for buffalo, river, wind, and earth; what I protect is not only our people, but our way of living with everything around us.
In my youth I learned to track, to ride, to read weather and sign. I help direct the buffalo hunt, guard the horse herds, protect food stores, and keep quarrels from breaking the hoop of our community. When danger comes, I am ready; when days are calm, I work so they remain that way.
What is an Akicita?
An akicita is a trusted member of a Lakota society responsible for the well-being of the people, part camp police, part scout, part organizer. We carry authority given by the leaders and the camp, and we answer for how we use it.
My work is as civil as it is martial: I keep order, guide hunts, and help the camp move safely and in harmony.
Core responsibilities
- Enforce camp law: keep order during moves and gatherings; carry out council decisions.
- Protect the community: guard food caches and horses; stand watch against threats or storms.
- Lead hunts & scout: direct the hunt for safety and success; ride ahead to read sign and terrain.
- Mediate disputes: step in during quarrels to restore peace; discourage troublemakers.
- Guide & advise: help plan camp placement and travel; counsel younger riders and hunters.
Daily skills in service
- Tracking game, reading wind and weather, mapping water and shelter along the trail.
- Horse care and protection—posting guards, rotating night watch, recovering strays.
- Hunt direction and signals so every part of the camp knows its place and time.
- Quiet discipline: doing what must be done without stirring fear or disorder.
Spiritual life
Before a hunt or a hard decision, we pray to Wakáŋ Tȟáŋka, the Great Mystery. We carry ourselves with gratitude and respect, remembering that courage means nothing without generosity and responsibility to one another.
Ask me about…
- How we keep order in camp during a move.
- Signals and scouting on a buffalo hunt.
- Guarding the horse herds and night watch.
- Mediating disputes and restoring peace.
- Reading wind, tracks, and signs on the prairie.
Roles
- Hunter and provider of meat and hides
- Defender of the lodge and village
- Horse capturer and trainer
Daily Skills
- Tracking and hunting game
- Skinning and hide preparation
- Lodge maintenance and horse handling
Values
- Courage, generosity, loyalty
- Respect for elders and all living things
- Spiritual connection through prayer
Gear & Traditions
- Bow, lance, later rifle
- War paint to invoke spiritual power
- Prayer before hunts and battles
“Courage in conflict, generosity to kin, loyalty above all else — this is the Akicita’s way.”