Manitou is the spiritual and fundamental life force understood by Algonquian groups of Native Americans. It is omnipresent and manifests everywhere: organisms, the environment, events, etc.Aashaa monetoo = “good spirit”, otshee monetoo = “bad spirit”. The Great Spirit, Aasha Monetoo, gave the land, when the world was created, to the Natives (in particular, the Shawnee).The term was already widespread at the time of European contact.