Legendary Native American Figures: Thunderer (Wakinyan)

Name: Thunderer
Tribal affiliation: Sioux
Native names: Wakinyan, Waukkeon, Waukheon
Pronunciation: wah-keen-yahn
Also Known As: Thunder Bird, Thunder Being, Thunder Spirit, Thunders
Type: Nature spirit, thunder, lightning
Related figures in other tribes: Thunderbirds, Animiki, Binesi, Seven Thunders

Wakinyan, known in English as the Thunderer or the Thunderbird, is a powerful sky spirit of Sioux mythology. The Thunderer has the form of a giant bird, with wings that make the sound of thunder and eyes that shoot lightning. The Thunderer is the mortal enemy of the horned serpent Unktehi.

Thunderer Stories

Wakinyan Tanka, the Great Thunderbird:
Lakota Sioux legends about the Thunderer.

Recommended Books of Related Native American Legends

The Sons of the Wind: The Sacred Stories of the Lakota:
Collection of Sioux legends told by a Lakota author.

Lakota Myth:
Book on traditional Lakota mythology, religion, and ritual.

Additional Resources

Sioux legends and stories
Siouan languages
Lakota language
Dakota pronunciation
Lakota words
Sioux Indian tribes
South Dakota tribes map
Great Plains tribes Native Americans

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