By: HERMAN BENDER
The Lakota term “Ymnni” (sometimes spelled Yumni) meaning ‘twisted,’ connects various Northern Plains Indians natural phenomena with deeply held spiritual beliefs. This word (and concept) encompasses both physical and metaphysical dimensions, linking the natural world of spirals, the moth’s cocoon, whirlwinds and dust devils, severe thunders storms, the stars of the Great Bear and even the soul’s journey along the Milky after death. What is more remarkable, the concept of Ymnni and spiritual beliefs inherent with it reflect not only broader Northern Plains cosmologies and idea of the universe (and beyond), but have parallels in the realm of quantum physics.
