Terms
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| Title | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| Wahpekute (Waȟpékhute) | A band of the Isanti or Santee Dakota. | |
| Wahpeton (Waȟpéthuŋwaŋ) | A band of the Isanti or Santee Dakota people | |
| Wakan Tanka (Wakȟáŋ Tȟáŋka) | The Great Mystery or Spirit. Refers to the creator, power, or universal force in everything. Often interpreted as God by Christian peoples. | |
| Wakute (Wacouta) | A Mdewakanton Dakota chief involved in the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 and imprisoned in the concentration camp below Fort Snelling in the aftermath. | |
| Wasicu | Also Wašicun, Wasichu. Dakota word for a non-Indian. | |
| Will-o-the-Wisp | A name for the flickering light sometimes seen in marshes. | |
| Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) | The former name of the Ho-Chunk tribe of Native Americans who's homeland is Wisconsin. They have reservations in Nebraska, Iowa, and Wisconsin. During the 1860s, many were residing on a reservation in Minnesota and were forcibly removed with the Dakota after the U.S.-Dakota War. | |
| Wiping of the Tears | A Dakota healing ceremony | |
| Works Progress Administration | Also called W.P.A. The largest and most ambitious New Deal agency (an economic program instated by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1933-36). It employed millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads. It also operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects | |
| World War II | Begun in 1939, with the invasion of Poland by Germany and due to various countries invading land areas. Fought between what was known as the Axis and Allies (which included the U.S.) the Allies won the war in 1945. |
