The Heyoka is a sacred fool, a clown with a great deal of power. The "contrary", the person who does everything backwards. They are yin and yang, sorrow and laughter, good and bad all rolled into one. They are one of the most important of the Medicine People in the Lakota Nation. Usually Heyokas’ are men but some women have Heyoka inside them and therefore must become a Heyoka.

The Heyoka’s power comes from the Great Winged Ones, which the whites call Thunderbirds. They have control over the weather and certain sicknesses. They are "Thunder dreamers" and once you have a dream of thunder or lighting you become one of these contraries- whether you want to or not.

The Heyoka has strange and enormous powers even though they make everyone laugh with their backwards behavior. There is a great reverence and fear of the Heyokas as their contrary behavior is intimidating to most people and you never know what they are going to do next.

The Heyoka’s power is usually used for good but because they are Heyoka one never knows.