Cultural Teaching article: Wakinyan Tanka,the Great Thunderbird

[Thunderwolf, MSN, RN]

An excellent story telling which explains how the Thunderbirds fought to save mankind from the Water Serpants (Unktehi). From a cutural perspective, it helps to explain to us how the Thunderbird is a sacred being to the Lakota Indian. It also explains why the Black Hills and the Badlands are also sacred places. The story was told by Lame Deer in 1969 in Winner, Rosebud Indian Reservation, South Dakota.

Here is a brief sample of the story. The entire story may be read from here:

http://www.squadronhosting.com/pyramidmesa/bsioux16.htm

The thunder beings are guardians of the truth. When you're holding the sacred pipe and you swear on it, you can say nothing but the truth. If you lie, the Wakinyan will kill you with their lightning bolts. So thunderbirds stand for rain, and fire, and the truth, and as I said before, they like to help the people.

In contrast, Unktehi, the great water monster, did not like human beings from the time they were put on this earth. Unktehi was shaped like a giant scaly snake with feet. She had a huge horn coming out of the top of her head, and she filled the whole of the Missouri River from end to end. The little water monsters, who lived in smaller streams and lakes, likewise had no use for humans. "What are these tiny, lice-like creatures crawling all over the place?" they asked. "What are these blood-clot people creeping out of the red pipestone? We don't want them around!"