🧚 VII. the Thunder-bird of the Dakotas

(Sioux, 1895)1

“What is thunder?” a white man asked a Sioux or Dakota Indian.2

“Thunder is a big bird flying in the air.3 It makes tracks like fire.4 You can hear it clap its wings.5 It is the young thunder-birds that hurt the Sioux.6 The old birds will not touch us.7 They are our friends.”8

“Did you ever see a thunder-bird?” was asked by the white man.9

“I never did, but my father’s brother, Little Crow, saw one fall dead out of the sky.10 It had wings wide as a white man’s house, and it had lightning on its wings.11 It had a face like a man; its nose was like an eagle’s bill.”12

“Who else ever saw one?” was the next question.13

“One fall our tribe was out hunting, and a thunder-bird flew down on the ground just a little way from them.14 It did not hurt them; they saw that it had on snowshoes.15 They found the track of the shoes when it flew away.16 Our tribe had good hunting that winter.17 They killed many bears.”18

“We have only one God; why do you have so many?” was next asked.19

“The Great Spirit is the god of the Dakotas,” said the Indian.20 “He made everything but wild rice and thunder.21 We must do as our fathers have done or the spirits of the dead will punish us.22 It is not good to change.23 We believe what they told us when we were children.24 We worship the Great Spirit.”25

“Who rules the water?” asked the white man.26

“Unktahe, the spirit of the water.”27

“What do you call the thunder?”28

“Wahkeon.29 He and Unktahe are always fighting.30 It is a great battle; when there is a storm Unktahe sends the thunder-birds back to the sky, sometimes.”31

“Tell me more about the thunder-birds,” said the white man.32

“Wahkeontonka is the father of all the birds.33 He is Big Thunder.34 He lives on a great mountain in the west.35 His wigwam has four doors.36 A caribou stands at the north door.37 He is swift like the north wind.38 At the south door is a red deer; he is very beautiful.39 His eyes are like the little lakes in summer.40

“A butterfly watches at the east door of the wigwam.41 He is like the morning light.42 A bear watches the west door, and when the wind blows from the west even the white people can hear the bear growling.43 This is true.”44

“What has Wahkeontonka done for the Indian?”45

“The thunder spirit gave the Indians thunder and wild rice.46 They eat rice and are strong.47 He showed them how to use the bow and arrow.48

“He dug iron from the ground and made tomahawks.49 He made spears.50 The Indians know Wahkeontonka is wise.”51

The Dakotas believe that their god of storm lives on Thunder Cap, a high promontory in Minnesota overlooking Lake Superior; from here he sends the rain, hail, or snow.52

Thunder Bay lies at his feet; on its shore lies the great giant turned to stone, who, ages ago, dared to defy Big Thunder.53 Wahkeontonka is the Dakotas’ Jupiter.54