Many misunderstand just exactly what a Medicine man/woman truly is. To the Dakota Sioux it is a priest who worships one God, who is known as Nagi Tanka (The Great Spirit), who is also known as Taku Skanskan (The Great Mystery). The Great Mystery is the most powerful and the creator of all that exists. In what follows I will try and give a brief discourse on this belief structure.
Wakan means many... things. The Dakota understands what it means because he/she was raised with the term and knows instinctively the things that are considered Wakan; yet sometimes this meaning must be explained to others. It is something that is hard to understand and sometimes harder to explain specially to a stranger.
Wakan means many... things. The Dakota understands what it means because he/she was raised with the term and knows instinctively the things that are considered Wakan; yet sometimes this meaning must be explained to others. It is something that is hard to understand and sometimes harder to explain specially to a stranger.
Therefore I will start with a white man's (doctor) medicine man/woman who is known as Wasica Wakan; but a Dakota Priest is called Pejuta Wacasa. Wicasa Wakan is the term for a Dakota priest of the old religion. At times a white person will call the Wasica Wakan a medicine man/woman, which is a mistake for they are Priests. Again, they say a Wasica Wakan is making medicine when he is performing ceremonies. This is an error. The Dakota call a thing a medicine only when it is being used to cure the sick or the wounded, the proper term would be Pejuta. When a priest uses any object in performing a ceremony that object becomes endowed with a spirit, not exactly a spirit, but something that acts like one, the Priest calls it tonwan or ton. Now anything that has thus acquired ton has Wakan, because it has the power of the spirit or quality that has been put into it. A Wasica Wakan has the power of the Wakan Beings.
Every object in the world whether it be of the earth, the air, the fire or the water has a spirit and that spirit is Wakan. Thus the spirit of the tree or beings of that kind, while not like the spirit of man, are also Wakan. Wakan comes from the Wakan Beings. These Wakan Beings are greater than mankind in the same way that mankind is greater than the animals. They are the never born, the always living. They can do many things that mankind cannot do. Mankind can pray to the Wakan Beings for help. There are many of these beings but all are of four kinds. The word Wakan Tanka means all of the Wakan Beings because they are all as The Great Spirit (Nagi Tanka). Mankind is permitted to pray to the Wakan Beings. If their prayer is directed to all the good Wakan Beings they should pray to Wakan Tanka; but if the prayer is offered only to one of these beings, then the one addressed should be named.
Wakan Tanka is pleased with music. He likes to hear the drums, rattles and the flute. When any of the Wakan Beings hear the drum and the rattles they always give attention. He is also fond of the smoke of sweetgrass and evil Wakan Beings are afraid of the smoke of sage. All of the Wakan Beings both the good and evil, are pleased with the smoke of the pipe.
The Wicasa Wakan or Priests, speak for all the Wakan Beings. Wakan Tanka gives them the power that makes them Wakan and by which they can put ton into anything. Each Priest has an object for himself into which ton has been put. This is called a Wasicun. The Wasicun is one of the Wakan Beings. It is the least of them, but if its ton is from a powerful being it may be more powerful than many of the Wakan Beings. This Wasicun is what the Priests do their work with, but the white people call it the medicine bag, which is a mistake, for there are no medicines in it. A medicine bag is a bag that doctors have their medicines in. If a man has a Wasicun he may pray to it, for it is the same as the Wakan Beings whose ton (wan) is in it. - Al Edwards
Every object in the world whether it be of the earth, the air, the fire or the water has a spirit and that spirit is Wakan. Thus the spirit of the tree or beings of that kind, while not like the spirit of man, are also Wakan. Wakan comes from the Wakan Beings. These Wakan Beings are greater than mankind in the same way that mankind is greater than the animals. They are the never born, the always living. They can do many things that mankind cannot do. Mankind can pray to the Wakan Beings for help. There are many of these beings but all are of four kinds. The word Wakan Tanka means all of the Wakan Beings because they are all as The Great Spirit (Nagi Tanka). Mankind is permitted to pray to the Wakan Beings. If their prayer is directed to all the good Wakan Beings they should pray to Wakan Tanka; but if the prayer is offered only to one of these beings, then the one addressed should be named.
Wakan Tanka is pleased with music. He likes to hear the drums, rattles and the flute. When any of the Wakan Beings hear the drum and the rattles they always give attention. He is also fond of the smoke of sweetgrass and evil Wakan Beings are afraid of the smoke of sage. All of the Wakan Beings both the good and evil, are pleased with the smoke of the pipe.
The Wicasa Wakan or Priests, speak for all the Wakan Beings. Wakan Tanka gives them the power that makes them Wakan and by which they can put ton into anything. Each Priest has an object for himself into which ton has been put. This is called a Wasicun. The Wasicun is one of the Wakan Beings. It is the least of them, but if its ton is from a powerful being it may be more powerful than many of the Wakan Beings. This Wasicun is what the Priests do their work with, but the white people call it the medicine bag, which is a mistake, for there are no medicines in it. A medicine bag is a bag that doctors have their medicines in. If a man has a Wasicun he may pray to it, for it is the same as the Wakan Beings whose ton (wan) is in it. - Al Edwards
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