North Dakota

Ethnic and Religious History and Networks

Much of North Dakota's networking history can be traced to the native and immigrant ethnic groups such as Native Americans, Germans, Norwegians, and Irish. The Sioux in North Dakota have the concept of tiyospaye, which means extended family. If parents are unable to physically or emotionally nurture a child, then aunts, uncles, grandparents, and other relatives step in to carry out the parenting responsibilities. Tiyospaye connects Sioux Indians from birth until death, not just during childhood. North Dakota is home to four Indian reservations: Standing Rock, Fort Totten, Fort Berthold, and Turtle Mountain. Native American culture is celebrated in North Dakota through numerous annual pow wows, which brings tribes together for singing and dancing and allows them to maintain old friendships as well as to make new ones.

European ethnic heritage has created many local, regional, and statewide networks, such as the Sons of Norway and the Germans From Russia Heritage Society. Nearly 47 percent of North Dakotans claim some degree of German heritage, many of whom claim a connection with Russia, as their ancestors lived in Russia before migrating to the United States. One group known as the Black Sea Germans settled in North Dakota, forming what is known as the German-Russian triangle.

This area has one of the largest Black Sea German concentrations in the world. The German influence is evident in the language, food, customs, and traditions of North Dakotans throughout the state. German festivals are held annually and serve to strengthen the bonds between regular attendees. It is still common in small North Dakota towns to order a complete German meal in a restaurant, including knoepfla soup and kuchen, and be served by a waiter or waitress with a thick German accent.

Citizens who trace their ancestry to Norway and Ireland are each fewer in number, but their ethnic influences are felt as well. Norsk Hostfest, for example, is celebrated each October as a tribute to Norwegian heritage, and the Celtic festival in March is a cultural tribute to Ireland, Scotland, and other Celtic nations.

[Page 668]Religion plays an important part in the lives of many residents of North Dakota, which has the fewest non-religious people per capita and the highest percentage of churchgoers in the nation. The two denominations with the most followers are Lutheran and Catholic. Church services, fundraisers, and charity assistance all strengthen the social networks and the building of community. Of particular interest is how religion is exercised in small towns. If one church has a fundraiser or social in a small town or rural area, many of the surrounding residents will attend and support the function, regardless of their own religious affiliation.

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