Manifestly a term so
protean is not susceptible of translation into the more highly
differentiated language of civilization. Manifestly, too, the idea
expressed by the term is indefinite, and can not justly be rendered into
"spirit," much less into "Great Spirit;" though it is easy to understand
stand how the superficial inquirer, dominated by definite spiritual
concept, handicapped by unfamiliarity with the Indian tongue, misled by
ignorance of the vague prescriptorial ideation, and perhaps deceived by
crafty native informants or mischievous interpreters, came to adopt and
perpetuate the erroneous interpretation. The term may be translated into
"mystery" perhaps more satisfactorily than into any other single English
word, yet this rendering is at the same time much too limited and much too
definite. As used by the Siouan Indian, wakanda vaguely connotes also
"power," "sacred," "ancient," "grandeur," "animate," "immortal," and other
words, yet does not express with any degree of fullness and clearness the
ideas conveyed by these terms singly or collectively--indeed, no English
sentence of reasonable length can do justice to the aboriginal idea
expressed by the term wakanda.
While the beliefs of many of the Siouan tribes are lost through the
extinction of the tribesmen or transformed through acculturation, it is
fortunate that a large body of information concerning the myths and
ceremonials of several prairie tribes has been collected. The records of
Carver, Lewis and Clark, Say, Catlin, and Prince Maximilian are of great
value when interpreted in the light of modern knowledge.
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