In 1889, through twists of fate and the intricacies of U.S. Indian Policy, the area that is now officially (and federally) designated as the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation became home to four of the seven bands of the Lakota Nation. Lakota means "allies" or "friends." It is the name that the people of this area gave to themselves long before Lewis and Clark and other explorers arrived. It is common for Lakota tribes and tribal members to refer to themselves and their tribes with their traditional name, Lakota, rather than their federal name, Sioux. The Lakota people make up what is called the OCETI SAKOWIN (Seven Council Fires).