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Native American Legends: Nonoma
Name: Nonoma
Tribal affiliation: Cheyenne
Alternate spellings: Nonoma'e, Nunuma
Pronunciation: no-no-mah
Type: Thunder god,
summer spirit
Related figures in other tribes: Animikii,
Thunderer
Nonoma is the Cheyenne spirit of thunder. Cheyenne portrayals of Nonoma vary widely; some Cheyenne people describe
Nonoma as a giant bird like the Thunderbird of other
Plains Indian tribes, while others consider Nonoma an anthropomorphic demigod or abstract natural spirit like the
Winter Wind, who is the opposing force to Nonoma. In either case, Nonoma is powerful and respected; he is associated
with summer and the southern direction, and is the enemy of water monsters like
Mehne and
Axxea.
Nonoma Stories
Recommended Books of Related Native American Legends
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Tales of the Cheyennes:
Collection of Cheyenne legends and folktales.
Algonquian Spirit:
Excellent anthology of stories, songs, and oral history from the Cheyenne and other Algonquian tribes.
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Additional Resources
Cheyenne stories
Cheyenne tribe
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Algonkian
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