Minnewaukan

Minnewaukan is a Dakota name meaning “spirit water” or “sacred water,” associated with the broad lake now called Devils Lake in North Dakota. The lake lies in a closed prairie basin, and its shores shift as water levels rise and fall. Its Dakota name reflects a sacred relationship with the water; the English name arose from a rendering of the word for spirit as “devil.” The surrounding wetlands and grasslands have long supported waterbirds, game and human communities.