Native Languages of the Americas: Kickapoo Legends and Traditional Stories
This is our collection of Kickapoo folktales and traditional stories that can be read online.
We have indexed our Native American folktales section
by tribe to make them easier to locate; however, variants on the same
legend are often told by American Indians from different tribes, especially if those tribes are kinfolk or neighbors to
each other. In particular, though these legends come from the Kickapoo tribe, the traditional stories of
related tribes like the
Meskwaki and Menominee are very similar.
Enjoy the stories! If you would like to recommend a Kickapoo legend for this page or think one of the ones on here
should be removed, please contact us and let us know.
˜Wiza'ka'a (also spelled Wisaka, Wisake,
Wizaka, Wizakaa, and several other ways.)
Wiza'ka'a is the benevolent culture hero of the Kickapoo tribe (sometimes referred to as a "transformer" by folklorists.)
It is pronounced similar to wee-zah-kah-ah. Wiza'ka'a is the same character as the Cree
Wesakaychak and shares some similarities with other
Algonquian heroes such as the Wabanaki
Glooskap, and Anishinabe
Nanabozho, and many of the same stories
are told in different Algonquian tribes with only the identity of the protagonist differing.
˜Kehcimaneto (also spelled
Kechimaneto, Kehci Manito, Kechi Muneto, and several other ways.)
This means "Great Spirit" in the Kickapoo language, and is the Kickapoo name for the Creator (God.) Kehcimaneto
is a divine spirit with no human form or attributes (including gender) and is never personified in Kickapoo folklore. The name is pronounced
similar to keh-chee-muh-neh-toh.
Indian nations
Wiza'ka'a and the Buzzard:
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