Manitou is an Algonquin word that is often misinterpreted as "spirit monster." The actual meaning is more similar to "spirit" "mystery" and "magic" and is considered an omnipresent amorphous invisible life-force. It is often applied to a demonstration of power that is otherwise inexplicable or not entirely understood.

Manitou have been given various names in different Native American cultures; several consider manitou to be a personification of the Creator; the Omaha call it Wakanda (also known as Wakan Tanka), similar to the Lakotan Wakonda, which is translated as "the power above." Wakan Tanka is usually translated as "Great Spirit".

One of the other names for a manitou is "Geezhigo-Quae", who is the sky mother, the creator of humanity and the earth upon which we live.