Lakota Sioux Creation Mythology::

Tate: A Myth of the Lakota as it is told in their Winter Camps (George Sword)

This myth shows how the four directions were established and how the world was prepared for human habitation. The four directions, or the four quarters of the earth, were, for the Lakota, synonymous with the four seasons. Once again, a new order in the world and in the universe is initiated by disruption and disorder. In this case it is the arrival of Skan's daughter, Wohpe (Beautiful Woman, Feminine, Mediator, Meteor) from her celestial home to Tate's tipi on earth, that upsets the stability of existing life. Wohpe is the messenger that Skan said in the previous myth Tate should await before the four directions and the calendar year (fourth time) could be established.

In this myth we can also witness the fighting between the Four Winds for the hand in marriage of Wohpe. "Metaphorically, the seasons make their round as a result of the four brothers' fighting with each other. At the end of the cycle the East, West and South winds unite against the North Wind and drive him back to his home, thus making the earth amenable to growing things" (Powers 1986: 40).¹

On earth, in the region of the pines, there lived in one tipi, Tate (Wind) and his four grown sons: Yata (North Wind), Okaga (South Wind), Eya (West Wind) and Yanpa (East Wind). With Tate there lived a fifth son, Yumni (Whirlwind) who was still a child.

In the beginning there was no direction in the world. The Four Winds wandered alone all over the world during the day and in a random fashion. A beautiful woman fell to earth whilst the sons were away and met with Tate outside his tipi. Tate asked her if her father Skan had given her a token. She gave him a pouch with strange symbols marked on it. Tate took her inside and said she could stay for as long as she liked. But he asked her not to tell his sons from whence she had fallen and who she was.

One day Tate said, "My sons, the time has come to make directions on the world" (Walker 1983: 62).² As Yata was the eldest son the first direction would be his. Tate told North Wind, "Go to the trail around the world at its edge and travel on this trail until you come to where your shadow is longest at midday and there you will make your direction" (Walker 1983: 62). Yanpa (East Wind) would make his direction from "where the sun begins his daily journey over the world" (Walker 1983:63). Where the four would be under the sun at midday, "there Okaga will make a direction" (Walker 1983: 63). And where "the sun ends his daily journey...there Eya will make a direction" (Walker 1983: 63).

"Thus," concluded Tate, "there will be four directions on the world and these directions will divide it into four parts" (Walker 1983: 63).

Then he stated that at present there existed only three times: the day, the night and the moon. But after the establishment of the four directions, there will be created a fourth time (the calendar year). Tate then gave the beautiful woman a name, Wohpe, and said that whenever they see the bright evening star or a falling star they would be reminded of Wohpe.

Notes::

• 1 - Marla N. Powers. 1986. Oglala Women: Myth, Ritual, and Reality. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• 2 - James R. Walker. 1983. Lakota Myth. Edited by Elaine A. Jahner. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.