Great Spirit
Supreme being in many indigenous cultures in Canada and the United States / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Great Spirit?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
The Great Spirit is an omnipresent supreme life force generally conceptualized as a supreme being or god. The Great Spirit is a central component in many, but not all, indigenous cultures in Canada and the United States, and interpretations of it vary between cultures.
In the Lakota tradition, the Great Spirit is known as Wakan Tanka in Lakota,[1][2] According to Lakota activist Russell Means, a more semantically accurate translation of Wakan Tanka is the Great Mystery.[3]
In the Haudenosaunee tradition, the Great Spirit is known as 'the Creator'. Haudenosaunee men's lacrosse team captain Lyle Thompson, characterized it as "the spirit that lives in all of us. It’s in the sun. It’s in the moon. It’s in the stars and the water. It’s in the earth."[4]
In the Algonquian tradition, the Great Spirit is known as Gitche Manitou.[5]
Due to perceived similarities between the Great Spirit and the Christian deity, "God", European colonial missionaries drew comparison between the two deities as a Christianization conversion technique.[6]