In my research, I have both read (Walker Lakota Myth and Ritual 1983) and been told stories (on Pine Ridge) about Taté and his sons, the directional winds. Besides the four cardinal directions, Taté has a fifth son, Yum, or whirlwind. While I caution anyone against seeing Yum as directly representing tornados, he does serve as a point to begin thinking about the place of tornados in the order of things. In my own understanding, the tale of Taté and his sons after Wohpe arrives is one of several narratives that describe the order of the world. Wohpe is daughter of Skan and arrives "when there was no direction in the world." The story of the winds gives us a tale of proper direction and action, but chaos is there, too, in Yum.

There is also a tale within this tale, told to Wohpe by Yum, about the giant, Ibom, who is defeated by Okaga, the south wind and youngest of Taté's sons. As I read this, I wonder if Okaga's bravery is a recognition of west and north winds bringing/ closely following tornadic activity. It has been told to me, too, that tipis often had their entrances facing south east because the northwest winds were ill favored. And when we spied tornados one afternoon as we set up a dance arbor, we were told to only watch respectfully and time would come later to talk about it. That line of storms eventually hit us and knocked down our tents, but I don't think we were hit by a tornado, just a severe t-storm. Our host later came out and gifted us a song to help everyone calm down.

Just so you know, these tales and beliefs are still out there and not in the past. What do they think now? Probably like most of us, they think there are meteorological events that their ancestors knew, talked about, studied, and wove into tales with great wisdom. Thanks for letting me share this tiny bit and i am sorry I only have a partial answer!