The History and Culture of the Spirit Lake Dakota
Throughout the Devils Lake region are a number of places with a “Devil’s” name attached to it. Some are sacred sites, others are locations. How these “Devil’s” names became attached to our modern terminology is probably due to shortened speech patterns. When Europeans began arriving in the Devils Lake area they learned from the Dakota people the local places names. The Lake area is Dakota country. By keeping the knowledge of local places it reminds everyone that the Dakota owned the land. Slowly but surely the new comers gave English names to these places. These names mostly were direct translations from Dakota to English. To name a place, shows possession, the Euromericans now own the land. The Dakota were placed on small islands of land within their former vast territory. This is too long a subject to go into, but surly in the future educated Dakota will review how the land was transferred out of their hands.
I will go through some of the known Devils names in alphabetical order.
Devils Backbone: Dakota name: Miniwakan Cankahu (Backbone of the Sacred Water). A ridge of high hills beginning at White Horse Hill and travels along the south edge of Devils Lake until it reaches Middle Butte where it turns south, past Heart Butte, and eventually diminished in size at it reaches the Sheyenne River. This ridge was thrown up by ice thousands of years ago.
Devils Ears: Dakota Name: Mato Nakpa Paha (Bears Ear Hill). A ridge running across Highway 57, known as Ryan’s Hill for Clem Ryan an ex-soldier stationed at Fort Totten who settled on land by this ridge (13/24-154-64). Prior to their extermination the Lake Region was known for Grizzly bears up to the 1820’s. Bear dens always face the north, on the north end of this ridge was a bear’s den which appeared to the Viewer as an ear. The Dakota have many tales of people being killed by bears in our area.
Devils Heart: Dakota Name: Miniwakan Cante Paha (Heart Hill at the Sacred Water). This prominent hill {el. 1725} can be seen from a distance located a mile and one –half west of Tokio, North Dakota {4-152-64). The name Spirit Lake (Miniwakan) is attached to show that this hill is the one referenced, as there are many Heart Hills and Buttes in North Dakota. This is the most sacred place in all the state. It is the Lodge of the Water Spirit {Unktehi) from whom Miniwakan (Devils Lake) is named.
Devils Heart’s Little Brother: Dakota Name: Miniwakan Cante Sunkaku (Younger Brother of Heart Hill), located a few miles south of the intersection of ND Highway one and Interstate 94. (1-139-59) Heman Township, Barnes County. This hill looks just like Heart Hill at Spirit Lake, but smaller in size.
Devils Lake: The second largest natural salt lake in the United States. It was so large that it was called an inland sea. The name “devils” was attached to this lake due to a mistranslation. The Early French explorers and fur traders associated the Water Spirit as a devil. This deception continues on to the present day. All the plains indigenous people knew of this Miniwakan. (Sacred Water). The lake is formed in a bowl whose bottom was scraped up and piled up on the south to form many ridges and hills, by the Ice Age thousands of years ago. It is bounded by the Counties of Benson, and Ramsey. This lake does have a natural outlet. The flow originates in Fort Totten Bay, by White Horse Hill, past the Cankdeska Cikana College southward to enter the Sheyenne Rive by Bouret Dam in Eddy County.
Devils Knuckles: Dakota name: Miniwakan Napakaha Paha (Knuckles of the Sacred Lake) {13-154-64) a row of small hills in a row located northeast of the City of Devils Lake, Creel Township Ramsey County. These small hills look from a distance like knuckles on a human hand.
Devils Mountain: Dakota Name: He Miniwakan (Sacred Water Mountain) located at 2, 3, 35- 152-62 Ramsey County. A high ridge on the east side of Devils Lake.
Devils Table: Dakota name: Wahnawotapi Oyanke (A place to eat on) Located SE ¼, NE ¼ -29 -152 -64, Mission Township, Benson County. A flat Top Hill situated within the Backbone. From the top of this hill one can see a great distance.
Devils Thumb: Dakota Name: Miniwakan Makaju (Paha Rain Hill at the Sacred Lake). Located 31-149-63 Elevation: 1,764, Colvin Township, Eddy County. The area was a camping place for buffalo hunting. It seemed to rain every time the camping area was used. Dana Wright says it was called La Butte Tonnaire (Thunder Butte) by the Metis, adding that a Metis buffalo hunter accidently shot his thumb off while loading his muzzle loading rifle at this location. This hill is right next to Camp Grafton South, a North Dakota National Guard training site.
Devil’s Tooth: Dakota Name: Miniwakan Hinske (Tooth at Spirit Lake). This large bolder appears like a tooth standing upright on its bolder base. This is a sacred stone, which tells of a Hidatsa woman who turned to stone. Over the years this location has been named The Big Sone (Inyantanka) Holy Stone (Inyanwakan), and Woman Sitting Stone (Inyan Winyan Iyotanke) (NW1/4 32-152-65).
Devils Wash Basin: Dakota Name: Miniwakan Napozaza Oyanke (Washing Place at Sacred Water). Located SE1/4 Section 5 – 151-64, Wood Lake Township, Benson County. A watering hole on the Fort Totten Trail. This location never went dry. The trail runs east and west, just south of this place used as a stopping place to water horses and freshen-up as they traveled to Fort Totten. Today is over grown with trees and hardly recognized from disuse. The name Devils Punch Bowl maybe referring to this location.
I would be interested in knowing other names that I failed to learn off.
Bibliography
Diedrich, Mark Mniwakan: Places Names and History of the Spirit Lake Dakota. Cankdeska Cikana Community College Publishing, Fort Totten, ND, 2022.
Garcia, Louis Papers MSS 11295 “Dakota Place Names in North Dakota.” State Historical Society of North Dakota, Bismarck.
Garcia, Louis Papers Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota, Grandforks.
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