Wabaduska Thunderbird Activity

The Mde Maka Ska Canoe Nations Gathering event is an opportunity for Native American youth, parents, and community to re-engage the sacredness of water or mni wakan. Mde Maka Ska or Bde Maka Ska was renamed to Lake Calhoun. Its Dakota name means White Earth Lake. For the Minneapolis-St. Paul Native American community, its proximity inspires an indigenous means to return to cultural, emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual health. As water does for the finned nation, the Mde Maka Ska provides an appropriate environment in which to implement visions of healthier indigenous nations.

Water Connects Us Activity

A long time ago, the Dakota people spoke of the story of Wabaduska, a giant water snake that lived in the rivers and lakes. The snake was a terrorizer of humans and the human’s only protection was the Thunderbirds who were the thunder beings in the sky. Sworn to protect the humans, the Thunderbirds patrolled Wabaduska to stay off the land where the humans inhabited. It is said that if you hear thunder strike, it is the Thunderbirds shooting lighting at Wabaduska to keep him from harming any human. Artist Graci Horne (Sisseton Wahpeton/Hunkpapa) created a mixed media print collage activity illustrating a Dakota water story about Wabaduska and Thunderbird.

Join Dakota artist Graci Horne in an at-home art-making activity to create a water monster, Wabaduska, and the human protector, the Thunderbird. Create veggie and fruit stamps to represent a river, rocks, trees, and lighting to add to the scene. Fun, printable illustrations of Wabaduska and Thunderbird are available for inspiration or for children to color, cut, and paste on to your stamped background.