Skan
element of Lakota metaphysics
In Lakota tradition, Škaŋ is the Motion of the universe. The Great Spirit, Wakȟáŋ Tȟáŋka, reflected upon himself and created the four Superior Spirits, Wi (the first to be created, bringing light to the world), Skan, Maka (Mother Earth) and Íŋyaŋ (the solid support of the Earth or the rock associated with the natural forces of the Earth). In the beginning, Wakáŋ Taŋka, The Great Mystery, reflected upon itself and created the four Superior Spirits. The first was Inyan, the Rock. Íŋyaŋ created a companion, Makhá, the earth. Then Sky, or Škaŋ, was created to wrap around the first two. All was still dark, so lastly Wí, the Sun, was created to give light.
Škaŋ is the source of all animated life. All things have a spirit, and this spirit is given to it by Škaŋ when the thing is created. These spirits come from the stars.
“Skan” enters the record as element of Lakota metaphysics. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Skan, element and Lakota can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Skan” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Skan, element and Lakota provides the most credible route into that argument.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 11, 2022. The linked authority identifier is Q2540842. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Skan”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Skan primary sources, Skan archive and Skan research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Skan”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Skan” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.