"Manitou"

Manitou, is among Algonquian-speaking peoples of North America, the spiritual power inherent in the world generally.

Manitous are also believed to be present in natural phenomena (animals, plants, geographic features, weather) they are personified as spirit-beings that interact with humans and each other and are led by the Great Manitou (Kitchi-Manitou).

The word was frequently used by 19th-century and early 20th-century anthropologists in their theories of animism, a religious system characteristic of many indigenous peoples.