Wocekiye facts for kids

Wocekiye (pronounced Wo-cheh-kee-yeh) is a Lakota word meaning "to call on for help" or "to pray." It also describes the spiritual practices of the Lakota people today. The Lakota prefer to call their beliefs "spirituality" instead of "religion."

A very important part of this spirituality is the stories about Wakȟáŋ Tȟáŋka, also known as the Great Mystery. The main teacher for the Lakota people is Ptesáŋwiŋ. She came to teach people how to live well together. She brought the Seven Sacred Rites and the čhaŋnúŋpa (sacred pipe). These teachings help people connect with Wakȟáŋ Tȟáŋka.

The traditional way of life for the Sioux (Očhéthi Šakówiŋ) people included more than just human interactions. It also involved the spiritual world. They believe that Wakȟáŋ Tháŋka created everything in the universe. Everything is connected as one. A key symbol of Sioux spirituality is the Čhaŋgléska Wakȟaŋ, or "sacred hoop." It shows that everything in the universe is linked together.

Understanding Wakȟáŋ Tȟáŋka

The Lakota creation stories explain how different spirits came from Wakȟáŋ Tháŋka. Black Elk, a famous Lakota holy man, described the connection to Wakȟáŋ Tháŋka this way:

"We should know that the Great Spirit is in all things. He is in the trees, the grasses, the rivers, and the mountains. He is in all animals and birds. Most importantly, we should understand that He is also above all these things and people. When we truly understand this, we will respect, love, and know the Great Spirit. Then we will live as He wants us to."

This means that Wakȟáŋ Tháŋka is everywhere and in everything.

Good Spirits

There are sixteen important spirits, called Wakȟáŋpi, that are part of Wakȟáŋ Tȟáŋka. They are grouped into fours.

Superior spirits:

• Wí — The Sun
• Škaŋ — Motion and the Sky
• Makhá — The Earth
• Íŋyaŋ — Stone

Associate spirits:

• Haŋwí — The Moon
• Tȟaté — The Wind
• Wóȟpe — The Divine Feminine, representing beauty and peace
• Wakíŋyaŋ — The Thunder Beings

Subordinate spirits:

• Tȟatȟáŋka — The Buffalo
• Hunuŋpa — The Bear
• Tȟatúye Tópa — The Four Winds or Directions
• Yumní — The Whirlwind

Inferior spirits:

• Niyá — The spirit or breath
• Naǧi — The ghost or shadow
• Naǧila — Spirit-like beings
• Šičúŋ — Spiritual power or intellect

Challenging Spirits

The Wakȟáŋ Tȟáŋka Šíča are spirits that can be harmful or simply don't care about humans. Here are some of them:

• Iya or Ibom - A powerful but foolish spirit.
• Iktomi - A clever trickster spirit. He was once a god but now wanders the earth.
• Unk - A goddess of strong feelings. She was banished to the underwater world.
• Gnaski - A demon known as the crazy buffalo.
• Unktehi - Large underwater monsters. They are enemies of the Thunder Beings.
• Unkhcegila - Monsters that live on land.
• Mni Watu - Water sprites.
• Can Oti - Elves that live in the forest.
• Ungla - Goblins that appear at night.
• Gica - Tricky and mean little beings.
• Waziya - The Old Man or Wizard. He is immortal but lonely.
• Wakanka - The Old Woman or Witch. She is Waziya's wife and also immortal and lonely.
• Anog Ite - Daughter of Waziya and Wakanka. She is the mother of the Four Winds. She was also cursed to be lonely forever.
• To Win (Tow whih) - The Blue Woman who guards the path to the afterlife. She checks spirits to see if they are ready for the next life. If not, she sends them back to Earth.
• Wanagi - Spirits that failed To Win's test and are stuck wandering the Earth.
• Hohnogica - Spirits of the home and hearth.

There are also other spirits in the world. They might not care about humans, but they can sometimes cause harm or be convinced to help.

• The Star People
• The Underworld Buffalo People
• Very Old People - They have power that can be used for bad things.
• Moon Women - Women who are easily tricked by certain spirits when they are on their moon (menstrual cycle).
• Tunkan (Tuh-kaw) - Spirits of the rocks. They are important in sweat lodge ceremonies.

The Creation Story

For a long time, many Lakota beliefs were kept secret from outsiders. But in the late 1800s, a doctor named James Walker worked on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. He learned many old Lakota stories from local Medicine People. These stories were later published in books.

Here is a simplified version of the Lakota creation story as told to Walker:

In the beginning, there was only one spirit, Wakȟáŋ Tȟáŋka. This spirit was everything that existed, but it was lonely. So, Wakȟáŋ Tȟáŋka decided to create other powerful beings to interact with. As Wakȟáŋ Tȟáŋka used its power, it split into three main deities: The Rock, the Earth, and the Sky.

These new beings started to become aware and developed their own personalities. They learned from each other, like children learning about the world. They soon saw that their world had empty spaces. So, they began to create more and more beings and things to fill these spaces. They also created the laws of nature.

However, their creations grew beyond their control. They not only created other gods but also mortal beings. By accident, they also brought evil into the world. The goddess of passion, Unk, was very powerful. The other gods could not make her disappear. So, they had to create new things to help mortals fight against her. This included spiritual power and medicine.

This is how the first mortals, the Pte Oyate (Buffalo People), came into being. They were born in a large cave deep inside the Earth.

Later, Iktomi, the Trickster, was shamed by another spirit. He decided to get revenge. He tricked Wazi and Wakanka, who were leaders of the Buffalo People. They were also the parents of Tate's wife, Ite. Iktomi convinced them to make their daughter fall in love with the sun god Wi. Ite was cursed and became Anung-Ite. She, Wazi, and Wakanka were banished to the surface of the Earth to wander forever. Iktomi was also cursed and lost his god-like status. Tate, the wind god, came to live on Earth with his five sons.

Wohpe, the divine feminine spirit, was sent to Earth to help Tate and his sons shape the world. The four older sons went out to mark the four directions and help create time and space. Tate was so happy to meet Wohpe that he asked her to live with him. She would be like his adopted daughter and care for his youngest son, Yumni.

However, all the brothers fell in love with Wohpe. She did not feel love and rejected them. She even used magic to curse them if they broke her wishes. Two brothers gave up. But on their journey, they were tricked by Wazi, Wakanka, and Iktomi. This caused them to fight.

Wohpe eventually felt she could not avoid marrying one of the brothers. She asked Yumni who she should choose. He led her to his favorite older brother, Okaga. When the four brothers returned, Tate held a big feast for the gods. During the feast, Tate gave magical gifts to everyone. But Iktomi, still upset, used his powers to ruin most of the gifts. Then, Okaga and Wohpe got married.

Sadly, this made Yata, one of the brothers, very angry. He and Okaga had violent arguments. This pushed all five brothers apart, with Yumni and Tate caught in the middle. Yata tried to attack Wohpe many times. She used her magic to escape by shrinking and hiding. But she went too far and could not break her own spell. After this, the four directions moved to the corners of the Earth and never spoke again. Yumni became the whirlwind god, always moving between them to stay in touch with his brothers.

Many other stories explain different parts of Lakota life and the natural world. Eventually, humans met the Buffalo People again on Earth. They formed a strong connection that continues forever.

All these stories teach one main lesson: the importance of using wisdom in making choices. Wisdom means being able to guess what will happen because of your actions and the actions of others. It means understanding what is coming before it happens. Even the gods and early ancestors were not born with wisdom. But if they had used it, much sadness could have been avoided.

The Sacred Hoop (Čhaŋgléska Wakȟaŋ)

The most important spiritual symbol in Wocekiye is the Čhaŋgléska Wakȟaŋ, or sacred hoop. It looks like a circle divided into four parts by a cross or an X. It is often decorated with the colors red, yellow, black, and white. It is used widely because it has many different meanings.

• It shows the four stages of life.
• It represents the four main rules of the Sioux people: wisdom, strength, thankfulness, and respect.
• It can represent the 16 main spirits when thought of as a sphere. Two gods are at the north, south, east, west, above, and below. The cross represents the four winds.
• It shows that all life comes from Wakantanka and returns to him in the end.
• It represents the four directions.

Types of Holy People

There are three main groups of holy people in Lakota spirituality.

• Wicasa Wakan - These are the Shamans. Their main job is to lead public and private spiritual ceremonies. They also record tribal history and keep track of time. They do this by counting the 13 full moons of the year. They also watch weather patterns and listen to bird songs. Many native people made rhymes from bird songs to remember what happened during different times of the year. Wicasa Wakan often wore a hat made from a buffalo scalp, including the horns. This was called a Brown Bonnet.

• Pejuta Wicasa - These are the Medicine Men. They were the healers and doctors of the native world. They had good knowledge of natural medicines. People also believed they practiced magic. Medicine and magic were often seen as the same thing. The word "Pejuta" comes first in their title because, once a person becomes a medicine man, they are considered medicine themselves, more than just a human being. Pejuta Wicasa wore a coyote or wolf hide over their head and shoulders. This was called a Grey Bonnet.

• Holy Dancers - Certain people were chosen to perform sacred dances for different reasons throughout the year. Their costumes were very fancy and considered holy. No one was allowed to touch them except the dancer who was meant to wear them.

Common Beliefs

• When pets die, their spirits stay in this world and take care of their owners. When a person dies, everyone (humans and pets) goes to the next world together.
• People who practice healing must never believe that the power comes from them. If they do, they will lose their ability to heal forever.
• All people are born with a special power called Sicun. It is like their breath and life force.
• "Thunder Hears Me" is a common saying. It is like saying "I swear to God" when making a promise or threat. It means, "May the thunderbird strike me down if I am lying." A less strong version is "The Earth Hears Me."
• Medicine Pouches were often worn by people for different reasons. They were usually decorated pouches with a special herb inside. Mothers would make pouches containing the umbilical cords of their children. For boys, they might include a Salamander. For girls, they might include a Turtle.