manitou
Native American spirit
Manitou is a spirit or supernatural force in Algonquian belief systems, pervading all of nature.
The concept encompasses both the spiritual power inhabiting objects, places, and living things, and specific spirit beings—good or malevolent—that interact with humans.
The Great Manitou (or Gitche Manitou) refers to the supreme creator spirit.
The word entered English through early contact with Indigenous peoples of northeastern North America: The shaman spoke of the manitou dwelling in the ancient oak.
Worshipped supernatural being
- divinitySacred nature or nougat-like sweet
- Supreme BeingUltimate divine authority
- life forceAnimating vital energy
- spiritual essenceNonphysical core of being
guardian spirit · protective spirit · animating force · divine presence · Algonquian · Ojibwe · Potawatomi · Cree
Connection to the sacred
- totemismBelief linking clans to symbols
- animistBeliever in universal souls
- ancestor spiritsDeceased relatives believed present
- nature spiritsSupernatural beings in landscapes
spirit world · interconnectedness · reverence · veneration · ritual · ceremony · offering · prayer
Uncultivated, uninhabited natural region
- forestTree-dense ecosystem
- mountainTall natural landmass
- lakeEnclosed body of freshwater
- riverLarge flowing watercourse
waterfall · rock formation · ancient tree · natural wonder · sacred landscape · Great Lakes · woodland · prairie
Cunning deceiver in myth
- thunderbirdSpirit bird causing tempests
- windigoCannibalistic monster of folklore
- skin-walkerWitch who becomes animals
- shape-shifterOne who changes form
water spirit · forest spirit · oral tradition · storytelling · legend · myth · tribal lore · creation story
Consecrated place of worship
- sacred groveWoodland deemed divine
- holy groundPlace of spiritual significance
- shrineSacred devotional place
- altarSacred ritual table
medicine wheel · standing stones · burial mound · pilgrimage · consecrated · hallowed · taboo · forbidden
deity
Worshipped supernatural being
- divinitySacred nature or nougat-like sweet
- Supreme BeingUltimate divine authority
- life forceAnimating vital energy
spiritual essence · guardian spirit · protective spirit · animating force · divine presence · Algonquian · Ojibwe · Potawatomi · Cree · Menominee
spirituality
Connection to the sacred
- totemismBelief linking clans to symbols
- animistBeliever in universal souls
- ancestor spiritsDeceased relatives believed present
nature spirits · spirit world · interconnectedness · reverence · veneration · ritual · ceremony · offering · prayer · chant
wilderness
Uncultivated, uninhabited natural region
river · waterfall · rock formation · ancient tree · natural wonder · sacred landscape · Great Lakes · woodland · prairie · wildlife
trickster
Cunning deceiver in myth
- thunderbirdSpirit bird causing tempests
- windigoCannibalistic monster of folklore
- skin-walkerWitch who becomes animals
shape-shifter · water spirit · forest spirit · oral tradition · storytelling · legend · myth · tribal lore · creation story · origin tale
sacred site
Consecrated place of worship
- sacred groveWoodland deemed divine
- holy groundPlace of spiritual significance
- shrineSacred devotional place
altar · medicine wheel · standing stones · burial mound · pilgrimage · consecrated · hallowed · taboo · forbidden · purification
manitouprofane
Irreverent toward the sacred
mundane · ordinary · desacralized · unholy · secular
manitoumaterialism
Prioritizing goods over spirit
atheism · disenchantment · mechanism · physicalism · reductionism