69).
Apparently this confederation called themselves _Hodenosauni_.

The termination "ois" in all French-American names is pronounced "wa"-- Irokwa.] Between the South Saskatchewan, the Rocky Mountains, and Lake Superior, nearly outside the limits of the Canadian Dominion, was the great DAKOTA, or Siou group,[7] divided into the distinct tribe of _Assiniboin_ or "Stone" Indians (because they used hot stones in cooking), the "Crows" or Absaroka, the Hidatsa or Minitari (also called Big Bellies, like the quite distinct Atsina of the Algonkin family), the Menomini (the most north-eastern amongst the Siouan tribes, and the first met with by the British and French Canadians south-west of Lake Superior), the Winnebagos on the southern borders of Manitoba, the Yanktons or Yanktonnais, the "_Santi Siou_" proper--generally calling themselves _Dakota_ or Mdewakanton--and the "Tetons" along the northern Dakota frontier and into the Rocky Mountains--also known as _Blackfeet_, Sans Arcs ("without bows"), "Two-kettles", "Brules" or "Burnt" Indians, &c.
[Footnote 7: The far-famed term _Siou_ is said to have been an abbreviation of one of the original French names for this type of Amerindian, _Nadouessiou_.

In early books they are often called the Nadouessies.] Next must be mentioned the very important and widespread ATHAPASKAN or Dene (Tinne) group, named after Lake Athapaska (or Athabaska), because that sheet of water became a great rallying place for these northern tribes.

The Athapaskan group of Indians indeed represents the "Northern Indians" of the Hudson's Bay Company's reports and explorers.

They drew a great distinction between the Northern Indians (the Athapaskan tribes) and the Southern Indians, which included all the other Amerindian groups dwelling to the south of the Athapaskan domain.