Native American Legend: Wild Woman of the Woods.
“The Wild Woman carries a basket on her back which contains the children that she caught.”
Native American Legend: Dzunuk’wa the Wild Woman of the Woods – Woman of the Mask.
I was 8 when we returned to Canada. We settled back in the forested Northern Appalachians of New Brunswick.
I missed Yorkshire, of course. Friends and family. Especially Gran’s stories. My Manx Grandmother used to tell me old tales of her birthplace. Celtic tales they were, of dark forests and strange people and creatures.
But almost by accident, I found an old book of Canadian Indian Legends in the school library. It captured my imagination. Especially the yarns of the Atlantic and Pacific forest peoples. From there I launched an expedition into Saint John’s public library. And found even older books, older tales of the local Micmac (Mi’kmaq) People. And copied my favourites down in Camp Fire note books.
I loved those tales, too.
Native American Legend and the Great Northwoods.
Since then I’ve discovered the great Northern Forests are a world of their own. Shaping the folk who live there in their own way. This Northern Thing (as Tolkien named it) does something to your soul.
People of The Northern Woods — whether Celtic (as I am), Saxon, Nordic and Germanic or Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, Haida, Tsimshian and Kwakiutl — shared something. Something I found in their stories, strange, original, but familiar. Of course, I was again living in the very green woodlands that the Mi’kmaq stories told of.
I found more Northern storytellers over the long years.
One online writer of Pacific First Nations myths and legends is Clint Leung, founder of the Free Spirit Gallery.
About the Pacific Northwest where he lives Clint has written: “Our Northwest is abundant with forests which have provided the wood as raw material for the region’s Native American Indian art.”
And goes on… “The wood carvings of the Pacific Northwest Native American art come in many different forms. The huge totem poles which are carved on entire tree trunks are probably the most famous. Certainly the most common form of contemporary Pacific Northwest Native American art is the plaque wood carving.”
Native American Legend: Eagles, ravens, thunderbirds…
“The entire range of Pacific Northwest Native American Indian art subjects including eagles, ravens, thunderbirds, bears, killer whales and salmon are carved as plaques to be hung on the wall. A more complex project, and usually higher priced, would be the expressive traditional face masks which are also carved out of wood.”
As Clint notes: “The Pacific Northwest Native American artists make some of the most striking aboriginal masks in the world.”
These wonderful dramatic masks tell stories of their own cultural characters. And two of these, Clint tells us, are…
“The Wild Man and Wild Woman of Canadian First Nations Art”
Two of the more interesting characters from the Northwest coast Canadian First Nations art world include the Wild Man and the Wild Woman of the woods. These two are often portrayed in very dramatic looking masks carved by Northwest coast Canadian First Nations artists.
The Wild Man of the Woods from Canadian First Nations art is called Bak’was. And is a small human-like creature who lives in the forest. He has deep round eyes that are sunken into his sockets and brows that jut out forward. His cheeks are hollow, his mouth is often grimacing and his nose appears like a hooked beak.
The People say that the Wild Man can sometimes be seen early in the morning on the beach. Where he collects cockles which are a type of mollusk as his food.
The Wild Man is also considered the chief of ghosts and spirits of people who have drowned are often hovering near him. Humans must beware of the Wild Man tempting others to join him for a meal.
If you eat some of the Wild Man’s food, you will turn into a being just like him.
In contrast to the Wild Man, the Wild Woman of the woods, or Dzunuk’wa as she is known, is a giant.[1] A powerful and fearsome figure twice the size of humans.
From Northwest coast Canadian First Nations art and legend, she is a dark and hairy ogress with supernatural powers. Her almost blind eyes are also large and sunken like those of the Wild Man but sometimes they have a red glow.
She is usually portrayed making her wild call (“Uh, huu, uu, uu”) with her open mouth and thick red puckered lips. It’s said that if children foolishly wander into the forest, the Wild Woman will capture them and eat them.
The Wild Woman carries a basket on her back which contains the children that she caught.
Fortunately, she is not very bright. And usually the children are able to outsmart her and escape. Interestingly enough, even though the Wild Woman represents the dark and dangerous side of the forests, she is also a bringer of wealth for some Northwest coast Canadian First Nations tribes.
A Wild Woman mask can be considered somewhat of a status symbol that only some powerful and rich Northwest coast Canadian First Nations families have.
Thank you, Clint, for this Great Pacific Forest Story!
Are you as fascinated by Forest Legends as I am?
If so, you’ve got to read my popular short story “THE BOY WHO WAS RAISED BY BEARS.” A Traditional Native American Animal Story & Folktale Retold.
Talking bears and human children adopted and raised by loving mother bears are common story themes in both Old and New World oral traditions. Even J R R Tolkien wrote about both Beowulf and “Bear’s Son Tales in European folklore.”
“Loved this beautiful Animal Tale. Loved Giju’muin, the strong Mama Bear. Perfect!” THE BOY WHO WAS RAISED BY BEARS
[1] Besides Dzunuk’wa, the Wild Woman of the Woods was also known as Tsonoqua, Tsonokwa, Zuniquwa, Th’owxiya, The Giantess, The Ogress, and The Wealth Giver.
Clint Leung is the Founder of the Free Spirit Gallery. Free Spirit Gallery – Northwest Native Indian & Inuit Art is an online information resource for Inuit art from the Arctic north and Northwest Native art. Also featuring Indigenous carvings, sculptures, prints and paintings. Their numerous informative articles and videos are an excellent research source.
Clint’s Wild Couple of the Woods story originally appeared on Ezinearticles.
Clint Leung also provided fascinating material for my post Dancing Bears: Inuit Polar Bear Sculptures New Trends in Art.
And see this popular post: My Spirit Animal – What Is Your Spirit Animal & Meaning? Owl Symbolism, Wolves & Others.
Images: Top image on this page is Emily Carr’s painting Among the Firs, from Wikipedia. In addition, the carved wood masks of the Wild Man and Wild Woman of the Woods are from the Free Spirit Gallery.
Posted August 1st, 2023. August is International Indigenous Peoples Month.
The 9th of August is International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. Locally, October is Mi’kmaq History Month.
Native American Legend: Wild Woman of the Woods – Woman of the Mask – Native American Art
American Indian, Canadian Indian Legends, Carved wooden masks, Native American Indian, Native American Birth totems and Native American eagle symbol. Equally important, International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. Native American Legend, Wild Woman of the Woods, thunderbirds, Dzunuk’wa. First Nations Canada, haunted, ghosts.
