Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-19
GODS OF THE DAK0TAS.
They People Water, Earth and Sky,
With Most Curious Deitiea
SOME ARE LIKE MONSTER OXEN.
Tho Mysterious Hs-yo-ka Who Does Every.
thing by Contraries.
BIRDS THAT CONTROL THE THUNDER


| SIssEToN AGENCY, June 9.-When Hen
nepin and Du Luth penetrated the wilder
ness of the great Northwest in the summer
of $780, but little or nothing was known of
the Dakota or Sioux Indians There were
rumors of a stalwart or warlike tribe in the
far West called by Eastern tribes Nadoues-
sioux or enemies, from which the name
Sioux is derived. Du Luth was French
trader and his fur traffic sometimes carried
him far into the unknown territory after
rich stores of pelts reported in some distant
Indian village In one of these voyages he
was captured by tribe Of wild and un-
known Indians.
| Louis Hennepin was French priest who
came up the Mississippi river in the sum-
mer of 1880, and was captured by war
party of strange savages who were descend
ing the river on the warpath against the
Illinois. The two men were captured about
the same time, and by strange coincidence
were taken to the same camp of Dakota or
Sioux and here priest and trader met.
Tho Dakota Name for Whisky.
From them the first reliable information
came to the world regarding the warlike
Sioux. The eastern band, into whose power
Du Luth and Hennepin had fallen, called
themselves Mdaywakantonwan, or "Spirit
Lake dwellers," from the fact that they
lived upon the numerous northwestern
lakes known under the general term Min
neawaukan, or spirit water. This name has
since been applied by the Dakotas to
whisky. 1t is compounded of ''minne,"
meaning water aud "waukan," meaning
spirit of God, and these lakes were supposed
to be the home of one Of their deities, who
occupies, the same relation to the Dakota
mythology which Poseidon holds in the
Greek, and Neptune in the Roman myths.
These water gods, or Oon-stay-he, are
supposed to possess extraordinary vitality
and energy, and are the most powerful Of
all the Dakota deities In external form
the Oon-stay-he are said to resemble the OK,
only they are of immense proportions.
They can extend their horns and tails SO Is
to reach the skies. These are the organs of
their power. The dwelling place of the
male IS in the water and the spirit of the
female envelopsand animates the earth. To
this family of gods the Dakotas sacrifice
when their boats are wrecked, when the
fish will not bite, or q member of the tribe
or a,pony, by some accident is drowned.
Here's Another Rib Story.
The first Oon-stay-he is believed to have
been created by Waukan-Tankar or the
Great Spirit himself, and was q male. The
female is believed to have been created out
of q rib of the male. From these two
sprang all the numerous Don. .stay-he, both
male and female, which are now scattered
through the waters and inhabit every land
scape One af these gods. it is believed,
dwells under the falls of St. Anthony in a
den of awful dimensions.
Another deity of high place IN the
Dakota mythology is Wesleyan, the thun-
der god. This is being of terrific propor-
hidden by the black clouds, the lightnings
flash forth and the thunder is its voice.
These gods are also male and female. There
are four varieties One is black, with
long beak and has four joints in his wing.
Another is yellow without any beak a. all
and with wings like the first, only that he
has six quilts in each wing. The third is of
a scarlet color and has eight joints in its
wings. The fourth is the most remarkable
of all. 1t is blue and globular, and has
neither eyes nor ears In the place of eye
brows this singular conception of barbaric
emotion has two semi-circular lines of
lightning, from beneath which project down.
ward two chains of lightning, zig-zagging
and diverging as they descend.
A Mighty Palace Of Flint
On the western edge Of the earth is high
mountain, having on its summit beautiful
mound on which stands the palace of this
family of gods, built of flint. The palace
doorway is stationed a Watchers butterfly
at the east, q bear at the west, reindeer at
the north and beaver at the south
Each of these Waukan sentries is envel-
oped, except the head, in scarlet down of
most exquisite softness and beauty. These
four bird gods are the gods of war, and are
ever ruthless and destructive. A deadly
enmity exists between them and the family
of Oon-stay-he.
The most subtle god of the Dakota
mythology is Ta-soo-shkan-shkan, or the
moving god. He is invisible, but every
where present He exerts controlling in
fuence. over the instinct, intellect and
passions, He can deprive a man of his
right senses and inspire an animal with
reason, so that the hunter will wander aim
lessly and idiot-like, while the game on
which he hoped to feast his family at night
escapes with ease. Or, if he be pleased,
this god can reverse the SPELL Like
Puck of classic story, this deity laughs
to see men in. trouble, and is passion
ate and capricious to the highest de-
gree. 1t is very difficult to obtain
his favoF.5 He is particularly glad
to see men die in battle or otherwise. His
symbol and residence is the boulder, which
is universally worshiped by the Dakotas,
and piles of which are to be seen on almost
every hill in this reservation. He also lives
in the four winds and in the consecrated
spear and tomahawk. To his court and
retinue belong the buzzard, the crow, the
fox and the WOLF ~
Praying to a God Of Stone.
The Toon-kan, or stone god, is the oldest
of the Dakota deities When asked why
he is the oldest, the Indians say because he
is the hardest Here they doubtless con-
meet with the quality of endurance, the idea
of duration. The form Of the stone used in
worship is round or oval, and about the size
of mans head. The devout Sioux paints
this Toon-khan red and then pravs to the
god which dwells in or hovers near it. This
seems to belong. to very ancient and far
simpler worship than the present among
the Dakotas
The Hay-yo-ka is the strangest of all the
Dakota gods. There are four kinds, all of
which assume the hnman form. They are
armed with bow and arrow and the deer
hoof rattles, which are charged with light
ming. One of the varieties is said to carry |
q drum and holds small Wakeyan god bv |
the tail for drum stick, striking the drum |
with its beak. This would seem an unfort-