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Wicahpi

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Wicahpi Pronunciation

Wicahpi is pronounced wee-CHAH-pee

Meaning: star

In 30 seconds: A Lakota name meaning 'star' — and in Lakota cosmology, stars are relatives: each person's spirit is said to descend from a star at birth and return to the Milky Way's Spirit Path after death.

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Origin Lakota, Native American

Meaningstar

U.S. rank (2005)#16364

2005 U.S. births6 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year2005

Total births (all-time)≈ 6

History & Origin

Wicahpi is composed of wica (humankind; people) and hpi (to fall) — 'the falling light of humanity' — encoding the Lakota cosmological belief that stars are beings who cross between the sky-world and the human realm. In Lakota star knowledge, each person receives a wanagi (spirit) from a star at birth; upon death, that spirit travels the Milky Way (Čhaŋkú Wanáği, the Spirit Path) before returning. The Big Dipper (Wicakiyuhapi) carries the deceased's spirit on a blanket; three stars serve as mourning companions. The hero Wicahpi Hinhpaya (Fallen Star) was born of a sky-woman who fell to earth, raised by a Lakota elder, and whose powers — including raising Devil's Tower to protect pursued girls — are encoded in Lakota landscape stories. Victor Douville at Sinte Gleska University has been central to documenting this star knowledge tradition.

Did you know? The Lakota hero Wicahpi Hinhpaya (Fallen Star) is said to have created Devil's Tower, Wyoming — he commanded the earth beneath a group of pursued girls to rise dramatically, forming the towering rock formation.

South Dakota Public Broadcasting — Lakota Star Knowledge: Fallen Stars and Devil's Tower — Documents the Wicahpi Hinhpaya (Fallen Star) hero narrative and Devil's Tower origin storySouth Dakota Public Broadcasting — Lakota Star Knowledge: Milky Way Spirit Path — Documents the Čhaŋkú Wanáği (Spirit Path) and the Lakota understanding of stars as spiritual relatives

If you like Wicahpi…

Acahkos— 'Little star' in Plains Cree — the same celestial being named in an Algonquian sister tradition

Anong— 'Star' in Ojibwe — a Great Lakes parallel to the Lakota star-name

Tainá— 'Star' in Old Tupi — the same luminous sky-being named in the Brazilian Indigenous tradition

Mahpiya— 'Cloud/sky' in Dakota — the celestial realm the Lakota stars inhabit, from the sister Siouan tradition

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Frequently Asked

How do you pronounce Wicahpi?

Wicahpi is pronounced wee-CHAH-pee. Press play above to hear Wicahpi said aloud.

How do you say Wicahpi?

Wicahpi is said wee-CHAH-pee. Press play above to hear Wicahpi said aloud.

What does Wicahpi mean?

'Star' in Lakota — from wica (humankind) and hpi (to fall). Stars in Lakota cosmology are spiritual relatives, not distant objects; each person's spirit descends from a star.

What is Wicahpi Hinhpaya?

'Fallen Star' — the Lakota hero whose story explains the origin of Devil's Tower, Wyoming. He raised the earth to protect pursued girls, creating the towering rock formation the Lakota call Mato Tipila.

What is the Čhaŋkú Wanáği?

The Spirit Path — the Lakota name for the Milky Way. After death, a person's wanagi (spirit) travels this path back to the star it came from at birth.