The History and Culture of the Spirit Lake Dakota
Every being either animate or inanimate has a spirit. Here in the north we are familiar with the Man of the North called Waziya Wicaŝta. He and his wife Wakanka the Witch, who are malevolent spirits; they are the spirits of the north. The male is a giant who has wolves as companions. His lodge poles are made of icicles. He comes out of his lodge in the far north dressed all in furs. He shakes his robe producing snow. He blows out of his mouth cold freezing air, bringing the land to a frozen stop. He cleanses the earth with the cold which brings hardship to all. He sets his aides the wolves on all that are weak from sickness and famine, killing them. Waziya and his wife love the cold, especially blizzards, they suffer greatly in warmth. They are continually at war with the Man of the South.
Waziya has a flute in one hand and a rattle in the other. When he sounds the flute, Wakinyan, the spirit of the west brings rain which Waziya freezes into snow and ice. When Waziya shakes his rattle, it hails. All those who he makes suffer with cold, disease, and famine can be seen doing their dance in the winter sky, the Dance of the dead, which we call the Aurora Borealis, called in Dakota Hanwakan.
As the months, called moons move toward spring, Waziya grows old and tired. He and his wife retreat into their lodge. He wraps himself in his robe shivering from the heat. He has been defeated, driven back by the Man of the South called Itokaġa Tawicaŝta and his wife, Woĥpe the Meteor. They bring warmth and try to drown Waziya with the help of the Water Spirit, Unkteĥi in the melted ice water. The Water Spirit using his two horns, breaks up the ice on the frozen lakes and rivers. Woĥpe wears a green dress which she wears in victory over the defeat of Waziya. Her dress is decorated with pretty flowers. Itokaġa with the help of the crow, plover, and meadowlark attack the wolves with their war clubs.
Each year the Man of the North and the Man of the South battle each other. Some years Waziya holds back the warmth for a longer period of time, and some years Itokaġa rushes a head and quickly brings warmth to the land.
During the boarding school era, Santa Clause was introduced to the children at Christmas. As Santa lived in the far north he was named Waziya in the Dakota language. He would appear at the school, and speaking not a word distributed gifts to the children. As the boarding school helped to eradicate the culture and language, an explanation is in order to explain the Dakota words used above. Through the centuries as the Dakota migrated north they found a strange tree, the pine, which stayed green all year long, naming it Wazican after the giant. They also named the “north” Waziyata, toward the direction of Waziya’s lodge. His wife was called Wakanka, meaning something that is very ancient and sacred. As she helped her husband, she was considered an old witch. The man of the south is called Itokaga which means facing toward the south. The rivers and creeks all travel toward the direction of warmth. The wife of the man of the south is called Wohpe or Meteor. You can see the snow on her dress melting, trailing behind her as she moves across the sky.
