Manitou

For other uses, see Manitou (disambiguation).

The word manitō (in both Cree and Ojibwe) written in Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics and Cree syllabics

Manitou (/ˈmænɪtuː/), akin to the Haudenosaunee orenda, is the spiritual and fundamental life force in the theologies of Algonquian peoples. It is omnipresent and manifests everywhere: organisms, the environment, events, etc.[1] Aashaa monetoo means "good spirit", while otshee monetoo means "bad spirit". When the world was created, the Great Spirit, Aasha Monetoo, gave the land to the indigenous peoples, the Shawnee in particular.[2]

  1. ^ Bragdon, Kathleen J. (2001). The Columbia Guide to American Indians of the Northeast. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 18. ISBN 9780231114523.
  2. ^ The Life of Tecumseh.