There is no culture in the world without a folklore…
We’ve all heard of evil spirits and flesh eating monsters such as dragons, demon bears, the Loch Ness monster or the Alaskan Tizheruk, leprechauns, trolls,
There is no culture in the world without a folklore…
We’ve all heard of evil spirits and flesh eating monsters such as dragons, demon bears, the Loch Ness monster or the Alaskan Tizheruk, leprechauns, trolls, Baba Yaga, Yuki-onna, the Cyclops, the grim ripper, banshee, werewolves, the Russian Gamayun or Alkonost, to the Celtic children eating Bugbear and more…
There are countless spirits and monsters associated with good and evil from every culture and each one carries their own significance and serve a particular purpose within their respective cultures.
Some of these monsters and spirits were totally fictional and only used to deliver messages, warnings and teachings to a particular people while some cultures still insist that their folklore monsters are real.
Which brings us to the main topic of discussion for this piece…and we’re asking…are Wendigos real?
Let’s take a closer look at this Algonquian folklore and try decipher the historicity behind this evil, winter time, man possessing spirit/half-man beast associated with insatiable greed and cannibalism…
Note: alternative forms include Windago, Wiindigoo, Windiga, or Windigo. Also associated with starvation and famine.
The Algonquin speaking people originally occupied the Great American Northern Frontier covering the areas running from the Atlantic Coast all the way to the Great Lakes in the interior (both in Canada and the US).
There were several known language groups forming different native tribes that had populations numbering hundreds of thousands.
They were primarily fishermen and hunters although some of them managed to cultivate a few supplementary crops such as squash and corn or wild rice which was a staple for the Ojibwe.
The Wendigo Origin: A Malevolent Monster is Born
Nobody really knows when, why or how the Wendigo legend came to be but what we know so far is that this was a common belief shared by a few Algonquin language groups that included the Innu, Ojibwe, Cree, Assiniboine, the Naskapi, and the Saulteaux.
According to the above Algonquian people, the Wendigo was a colossal monster usually appearing during the winter or famine and it had a serious appetite for human flesh and also possessed human beings overtaken by their own greed to become cannibals.
These possessed humans developed an unstoppable craving for human flesh and could never seem to have enough of other destructive obscenities regarded as taboo.
The detailed descriptions of this monster/spirit varied from tribe to tribe but the overall view of the Wendigo was somewhat standard.
Until recently, surviving members of the Ojibwe, Assiniboine and Cree language groups still practiced an ancient form of ceremonial dance (especially during famines) to try and bring the community together by fostering moderation and co-operation among the people.
This was a way to keep the Wendigo spirit from possessing people during these hard times when individuals could very easily be tempted to act in selfish greed.
Historical reports collected from the Jesuit Relations talks of a disease of some sort that combined all the symptoms of lunacy, frenzy and hypochondria.
These reports were made by early European explorers and they were part of a larger campaign aimed at raising funds for the conquests.
The explorers talked of ravenous attacks from natives afflicted by this folk illness commonly known in the medicine world as the Wendigo Psychosis, a “culture-specific syndrome”.
The Wendigo Controversy
Here comes the exciting part…
Now, we know the Wendigo myth to be of Algonquin origin, and all the characteristics of the Wendigo as defined by the Algonquin people, point to an evil beast that ate men and possessed natives to start acting like the Wendigo itself… right?
So here is a random thought…
Could the natives have developed this myth when they first met European explorers?
The Wendigo is associated with winter and famine which could very easily be the two times when the waters were favorable for European ships to cross the oceans.
Remember what we said earlier about folk lore and its use in the society? Warning, teaching…
I mean, how else could the tribal chief of a “savage” tribe or their scouts explain a frail looking white man with white ashy skin, emaciated and stinky from months of sea travel without a proper bath, and who just happened to appear on their shores?
One scholar and teacher from Ontario, Basil Johnston, describes the Wendigo close to what we would describe a zombie in the modern context.
Loose skin covering 