Wakan Tanka

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In the Sioux tradition, Wakan Tanka (also known as Wakan or Wakanda by the Omaha Tribe) is the term for the "sacred" or the "divine". It is often translated as "The Great Spirit". However, its meaning is closer to "Great Mystery", and is typically understood as the power or the sacredness which resides in everything, similar to many animistic and pantheistic notions. This term describes every creature and object as wakan ("holy") or having aspects that are wakan.

It should be noted that the term "Sioux" was a name given to the Lakota, Nakota, or Dakota nations by neighboring tribes and actually translates to "lesser adder".

[edit] Modern usage

Though there are great differences between the original meaning of Wakan Tanka and the Christian God these terms are often used interchangeably in Christianity among the Sioux. Whether the original meaning of Wakan Tanka has any relation to Judeo-Islamic-Christian concepts of the divine is debatable.

[edit] See also

Oki is the equivalent name for the great spirit to the Iroquois people.