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✨ A sacred power 🙏 Sacred or holy
wakan

wakan

1 9.9
A holy power, spirit, or special object in Native American religion
  • noun
  • /ˈwɑːkən/
  • US
: poder sagrado
  • So in the, in the Lakota tradition, Wakan Tonka means the great mystery.
  • Wakan Tanka

So in the, in the Lakota tradition, Wakan Tonka means the great mystery.

Examples

  • She took to praying to Wakan Tanka, the Great Spirit of her childhood who had not been a jealous God, she thought, but had waited patiently for her to honor Him again.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • In Native American societies, the power associated with writing may have had more to do with the widespread idea of a sacred powerfulness (wakan in Lakota, for example) than non-Native senses of coercive or manipulative force.

    Academic text (2001)

  • I straddle the world and pray to Wakan Tanka that somewhere ahead of me.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • This overstated claim ignores an ongoing debate among Plains scholars concerning the concept of Wakan Tanka, while the portion of Black Elk's vision they use to support this connection better describes wakan, the great unknowable spiritual power that pervades all things.

    Academic text (1998)

  • In Lakota beliefs, the sun is considered wakan, representing both life and light.

  • The tribe gathers to celebrate the wakan nature of the earth during their yearly rituals.

  • Many Native American stories explain how wakan beings interact with the world to maintain balance.

How Sacred

deity
60 7.4
wakan
  • US
1 9.9
spirit
829 7.0
amulet
72 7.2

Surface Forms

wakan singular
wakans plural

Etymology

Wakan comes from the Lakota word wakȟáŋ, meaning 'sacred' or 'mysterious power'. So a wakan can be a spirit, a sacred object, or a special power that people honor.