Stage 2: Building Your List of Nations

STEP 1

Review: What You Built in Stage 1

In Stage 1, you built the foundation of your HTML page. Your code editor already has what you created — a page with <h1>, two <h2> headings, and <p> paragraphs about South Dakota's Tribal nations.

Look at the preview panel → and you should see your page. In this stage, we'll make it even better by adding lists to organize the 9 Tribal nations.

💡 Did You Know?

Lists are one of the most common HTML elements on the web — menus, navigation, search results, and shopping carts are all built with lists!

STEP 2

Two Kinds of Lists

HTML has two main types of lists:

Unordered list <ul> - creates bullet points. Use this when the items could be listed in any order — like a list of nations, ingredients, or features.
Ordered list <ol> - creates numbered items automatically. Use this when the sequence matters — like steps in a recipe, ranked results, or historical events in order.

Both types use <li> (list item) for each entry. The <li> tags always go inside the <ul> or <ol> — never floating on their own.

🔠 List Structure

Think of <ul> or <ol> as a container, and each <li> as one item inside that container. The browser automatically adds bullet points or numbers — you don't have to type them yourself!

STEP 3

List the Six Lakota Nations

Let's add a <ul> under your Lakota <h2> to list the 6 Lakota communities.

Cheyenne River Sioux

Dewey & Ziebach Counties

Crow Creek Sioux

Buffalo County

Lower Brule Sioux

Lyman County

Oglala Sioux Tribe

Oglala Lakota County

Rosebud Sioux Tribe

Todd County

Standing Rock Sioux

Corson & Sioux Counties

👉 Add this AFTER your Lakota <p> tag: <ul>
  <li>Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe</li>
  <li>Crow Creek Sioux Tribe</li>
  <li>Lower Brule Sioux Tribe</li>
  <li>Oglala Sioux Tribe</li>
  <li>Rosebud Sioux Tribe</li>
  <li>Standing Rock Sioux Tribe</li>
</ul>

Watch the preview → six bullet points should appear under your Lakota heading. We're using <ul> here because these nations are all equally important — there's no ranking or sequence. A numbered list would imply one nation is "first," which isn't what we mean.

STEP 4

List the Dakota and Nakota Nations

Now do the same for the 3 Dakota and Nakota communities.

Flandreau Santee Sioux

Moody County

Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate

Roberts County

Yankton Sioux Tribe

Charles Mix County

👉 Add this AFTER your Dakota and Nakota <p> tag: <ul>
  <li>Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe</li>
  <li>Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate</li>
  <li>Yankton Sioux Tribe</li>
</ul>

STEP 5

Use an Ordered List for a Fun Fact

Use <ol> when the order matters. Let's add a quick-fact section with a numbered list.

👉 Add this AFTER your Dakota and Nakota </ul> tag: <h2>Quick Facts</h2>
<ol>
  <li>South Dakota has 9 federally recognized Tribal nations.</li>
  <li>6 nations are Lakota, and 3 are Dakota and Nakota.</li>
  <li>Together they are the Oceti Sakowin — the Seven Council Fires.</li>
  <li>Each nation is sovereign — they have their own government.</li>
</ol>

Notice the numbers appear automatically — you don't type "1.", "2.", "3." yourself. <ol> handles that for you.

🎯 ul vs. ol — When to Use Each

Use <ul> for things where order doesn't matter — like a list of nations (no nation is "first"). Use <ol> for steps, rankings, or timelines where sequence is meaningful.

STEP 6

Make It Your Own!

Try adding your own list item. You could add:

A fifth quick fact you know about SD Tribes
A <li> with the name of a Tribal nation you'd like to learn more about
A new <ul> with a list of questions you have about the Tribes

🌟 Stage 2 Complete!

You've learned <ul>, <ol>, and <li>. In Stage 3, we'll nest lists inside other lists to build even richer structure!