Wakíŋyaŋ is a

Lakota Lakota may refer to: *Lakota people, a confederation of seven related Native American tribes *Lakota language, the language of the Lakota peoples Place names In the United States: *Lakota, Iowa *Lakota, North Dakota, seat of Nelson County *Lakota ...

word for "thunder." It also may be a

portmanteau word A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsThunder Birds".

Heyoka The heyoka (, also spelled "haokah," "heyokha") is a kind of sacred clown in the culture of the Sioux (Lakota and Dakota people) of the Great Plains of North America. The heyoka is a contrarian, jester, and satirist, who speaks, moves and reacts ...

s, that is contrarians, dream of Wakinyan and can burn cedar (''

Juniperus scopulorum ''Juniperus scopulorum'', the Rocky Mountain juniper, is a species of juniper native to western North America, from southwest Canada to the Great Plains of the United States. Description ''Juniperus scopulorum'' is a small evergreen conifer ...

'') to protect themselves from thunder and lightning, since Wakinyan respects and will not harm that tree.

References

Lakota mythology Lakota culture Thunder gods Lakota words and phrases {{NorthAm-myth-stub