The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations peoples in North America. The modern Sioux consist of two major divisions based on language divisions: the Dakota and Lakota; collectively they are known as the Och&eacute;thi &Scaron;ak&oacute;wi? (&ldquo;Seven Council Fires&rdquo;). The term &ldquo;Sioux&rdquo; is an exonym created from a French transcription of the Ojibwe term &ldquo;Nadouessioux&rdquo;, and can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or to any of the nation&rsquo;s many language dialects.<br />The short essay <i>The Sioux Mythology</i> was published on the American magazine <i>Popular Science Monthly</i> in November 1894. The author, Charles Alexander Eastman (1858-1939) was a Native American physician, writer and folklorist.<br />&laquo;The Indian did not trouble himself concerning the nature of the Creator. He was satisfied that there was a God, whose laws all must obey, and whom he blindly or instinctively worshiped as the &ldquo;Great Mystery&rdquo;. The relation between God and man he conceived from the analogy of Nature. His God is a gracious yet an exacting parent. He punishes both the disobedient and the evil-doer, and forgives and helps the penitent and the good. He hears prayers. He is called <i>Wakantanka</i>, or the Great Mystery. The word <i>wakan</i> means mystery or holy, and <i>tanka</i> means great, mighty, or supreme. Neither of the two words signifies spirit; however, it may imply that. The word <i>wakan </i>may also mean reverenced or sacred&raquo;.