Wasi'chu


Wašíču is the Lakota and Dakota word for people of European descent. It expresses the indigenous population's perception of the non-natives' relationship with the land and the indigenous population. Typically it refers to white people but does not specifically mention skin color or race.

Origins

The etymology of wašíču is unknown but some of the Northern Plains tribes use terms for Europeans that are cognates with wašíču. For example, the Hidatsa word for white people is maší. This suggests that wašíču could be a borrowing from another language. A common folk etymology claims that wašíču originates from wašíŋ ičú "he takes fat" and this is used by natives in puns to refer to non-Natives who collectively rob tribes of their resources.
In Dakota, Wašicu also means the English language. The Lakota word for the English language is Wašíču iyápi.