Within a Lakota framework, the physical world is the visible manifestation of the invisible, spiritual world. The visible landscape is saturated with symbolic representations of the invisible, awaiting discernment from an intuitive and open body and mind. Discernment is possible because all things share of the same wakan, or sacred, substance, and all things ultimately have their coalescence in a spiritual totality known as Wakantanka. Because visible symbols speak of invisible truths, and because the Wakantanka inheres in all things, identifying symbols is imperative in the Lakota worldview. "Be open to everything you see, because Wakantanka speaks through everything," is a common refrain, even today.
This article and the ones that follow it in the Lakota Religion section presents a description of some of these symbolic representations of Wakantanka: numbers, shapes or patterns, colours, animals, plants, stones and astronomical phenomena. It also summarises the basic tenets of Lakota philosophy that still endure to the present day.
© 2002 by Bornali HalderSite, Page and Article © Copyright 2002 by Bornali Halder