#indigenous legends

[shy-storyteller]

Sedna: The Arctic Goddess of Transformation and the Sea

In the frozen reaches of the Arctic, where survival depends on the ocean’s mercy and the hunt’s success, one deity commands absolute reverence: Sedna, the Mother of the Sea. Her mythology weaves together themes of betrayal, sacrifice, and transformation, creating one of the most complex and powerful narratives in indigenous spirituality. The Many Names of the Sea Mother Sedna’s identity shifts…

Sedna: The Arctic Goddess of Transformation and the Sea

[coffeestainedbookcase]

Wendigo

Origin: Algonquian Ojibwe, Eastern Cree, Saulteaux, Westmain Swampy Cree, Naskapi, and Innu peoples

Description:

"The Wendigo was gaunt to the point of emaciation; its desiccated skin pulled tautly over its bones. With its bones pushing out against its skin, its complexion the ash grey of death, and its eyes pushed back deep into their sockets; the Wendigo looked like a gaunt skeleton recently disinterred from the grave. What lips it had were tattered and bloody. Its body was unclean and suffering from suppurations of the flesh, giving off a strange and eerie odour of decay and decomposition, of death and corruption." — Basil Johnston, Ojibwe teacher and scholar, Ontario, Canada.

Though the creature has many names, each roughly translates to “the evil spirit that devours mankind.”

They have been described as giants, many times larger than human beings and as malevolent, cannibalistic, supernatural beings strongly associated with winter, the north, coldness, famine, and starvation. Their association with winter extends to the locations these creatures are most likely to be found. They prefer areas where snowfall is regular and where natural shelter is easy to come by (i.e., dense forests and mountains).

The Algonquian legend describes the creature as “a giant with a heart of ice; sometimes, it is thought to be entirely made of ice. Its body is skeletal and deformed, with missing lips and toes.”

The Ojibwa legend claims “It was a large creature, as tall as a tree, with a lipless mouth and jagged teeth. Its breath was a strange hiss, its footprints full of blood, and it ate any man, woman, or child who ventured into its territory. And those were the lucky ones. Sometimes, the Wendigo chose to possess a person instead, and then the luckless individual became a Wendigo himself, hunting down those he had once loved and feasting upon their flesh.”

According to all legends, the creature is said to have several skills and powers, including stealth and speed. Due to their prior human lives, they are said to be near-perfect hunters, knowing and using every inch of their territories when trapping prey.

Several indigenous legends include the Wendigo, each noting that their creation is a result of cannibalism. Most cite warriors or hunters becoming lost in the woods during the winter months, running out of food and turning to human flesh as a means of survival. The spirit of the humans they consumed would become addicting and, upon consumption of enough, would transform them into a less-than-human beast. The Wendigo is, therefore, insatiable in regard to human meat - they are simultaneously gluttonous and emaciated from starvation - and so must constantly hunt for new humans to consume.

Unlike other natural carnivores, the Wendigo doesn’t pursue its prey in order to capture and eat it. Rather, they rely on their ability to mimic human voices; they lure people in and draw them far from civilisation, where they become lost and isolated. It is at this point that the Wendigo completes the hunt.

As punishment for their gluttony when human, the Wendigo are said to be cursed to wander the land for the rest of their existence, constantly in search of food. When they can find none, the Wendigo starves to death.

Though the legends speak of monsters, there are several lessons to be learnt from them. Besides the obvious warning against wandering off in the woods alone in winter, the tales of the Wendigo can also serve as a way of preventing real-life problems like insatiable greed, selfishness, and violence.

Basil Johnston has written, the idea of “turning Wendigo” is a very real possibility when the word refers to self-destruction, rather than literally becoming a monster in the forest.

[godfatherofsol]

He Walked the Americas by L. Taylor Hansen

[anishinaa-bae]

Anishinaabe Creatures & Spirits

• Wendigo

(win-day-goh) / (when-day-goh)

man-eating monster or evil spirit known as a Manitou-- wendigos were once regular people who cannibalized others and slowly was taken over by this spirit, turning into a terrifying, red eyed, towering giant gaunt monsters with long teeth and claws, skin so emaciated it ripped at the bone. Eternally hungry, they hunt the living

• Nibiinaabe

(nih-bee-nah-bay)

water spirits, described as mermaid-like creatures, with human torsos and fish tails who live in the Great Lakes. Said to be frightened off by loud noises. 

• Mishiginebig

(Mih-shih-ginnie-bigg)

Also known as “the Great Horned Serpent” A great giant lake monster said to lurk in the Great Lakes and tip over boats, eating humans. Described to have a large horn on it’s head.

•Underwater Panther

Also pictured in the image above,  it looks something like a “cross between a cougar and a dragon. It is a dangerous monster who lives in deep water and causes men and women to drown.”

[nahualowebcomic]

This is a story of the community of San Miguel Tzinacapan Cuetzalan Puebla, where Nahuatl is their common language, in San Miguel Tzinacapan the workshop for Oral Tradition was formed in the 70's which is part of the Agricultural Society CEPEC and responsible for the Oral Tradition. Through the rescue, critical reflection and dissemination of oral tradition, its designed to promote ethnic cultural development in the area of ​​Cuetzalan Puebla. On this special occasion, we transcribe the story in English, Spanisg and in Nahuatl: THE OLD WOMAN WHO KEPT THE OLD FIRE In the times of old, the elders  say that there that fire on the earth didn´t exist, the devil wife had the fire, who knows where she find it , there,  and she didn´t  left to the people of the land to have the fire, saying she did not want to share with them.

She is asked, but no, she just wanted to keep for herself, many asked her favor:

Give us the light!

- No, because this fire is for me, the light is mine.

Nobody gain it, many the ask, but no one gain it to everyone was denied it, only it was for her.

One day people thought and said to the Tlacuache.

- You  go to see if you can remove the fire, wet your fine and go and do as you're going to ask you please to hot and there have long tail you and with your own tail bring the fire.

The Tlacuache did as ordered and really the whole day was getting into the water, really wet and it was well soaked to where the old was. That's why we now see that the opossum has the unemployed hairs. It was shaking and so came up where the old woman was.

Asking he said

- By the Gods !, let me warm up a bit, I really got very cold, I'm going to remove your fire, I do not want  to remove, because you are really seeing that I'm cold and wet. Not here to take it off, let me warm, my petition it´s just

But the Tlacuache  had the order to steal the fire.

Really, the old woman said:

- Yes, but warm yourself away if you want.

The old woman took pity because he saw that he need warming, Tlacuache did as it dried, he turned on all sides, he was warming. And as the lady was already very old devil began to fall asleep and not paying attention to him and it was then slowly, very slowly he began to stick his tail. Stuffed slowly until all the fire and when all was already felt in the fire and pulled his tail caught fire, ran until his tail was on fire

Oh !, nanita and burned me now I already got burned!

The old woman and could not catch the Tlacuache fled.

Oh damn old lady! I did not mean to hurt you.

- Cursed Tlacuache! So you're an envoy to do this, now I already took away the fire.

He replied:

- No, I burned just.

He went there with his tail on fire. 

Then the fire was showering, the collected which they wanted.

The old woman became very angry, but what do I do? Already they had been removed.

So now we all have light, it is why the opossum has the peeled tail because it was burned So ends this story.

SPANISH

LA VIEJA QUE GUARDABA EL FUEGO En aquel tiempo dicen que todavía no había fuego en la tierra, le esposa del diablo tenia la lumbre, quien sabe dónde, ahí la tenia y no se la dejaba a la gente de la tierra, dicen que ella no la quería dar. Se la pedían, pero no, solo quería para ella la lumbrecita, muchos le pedían favor: -¡Danos la lumbre! - No, porque esta lumbre es solo para mí, la lumbre es mía. A nadie se la daba, muchos se la pedían, pero a nadie se la daba, a todos se la negaba, solo era para ella. Un día las personas pensaron y le dijeron al Tlacuache. - Vete tú a ver si le puedes quitar el fuego, mójate muy bien y ve, haz como que vas a pedirle favor para que ahí te calientes y tú como tienes cola larga, con tu misma cola traes la lumbre. El Tlacuache hizo lo que le ordenaron y de veras que todo el día estuvo metiéndose en el agua, se mojó de veras y se fue bien empapado a donde estaba la vieja. Es por eso que ahora vemos que el Tlacuache tiene los pelos parados. Se fue temblando y así llegó hasta donde estaba la vieja. Pidiéndole favor le dijo - ¡Ay Dios!, deja que me caliente un poco, de veras que tengo mucho frío, no te la voy a quitar, no te la voy a quitar porque estás viendo que de veras tengo frío y estoy mojado. No vengo a quitártela, déjame tan siquiera que me caliente nomás. Pero el Tlacuache desde antes ya tenía la orden de robarle la lumbre. De veras, la vieja le dijo: - Sí, pero caliéntate un poco lejos si quieres. La vieja le tuvo lástima porque vio que le hacía falta calentarse, el Tlacuache hizo como que se secaba, se volteaba por todas partes, se estaba calentando. Y como la señora del diablo ya era muy vieja empezó a dormirse y ya no le hacía caso entonces fue cuando despacito, muy despacito empezó a meter la cola. Despacio hasta que la metió toda al fuego y cuando sintió que ya toda estaba adentro del fogón enganchó su cola y jaló el fuego, salió corriendo y hasta su cola iba ardiendo. - ¡Ay nanita ya me quemé!, ¡ahora sí ya me quemé! La vieja ya no pudo agarrar al Tlacuache, huyó. -¡Ay maldita viejita! No quise hacerte daño. - ¡Maldito Tlacuache! Entonces eres un enviado para hacer esto, ahora sí ya me quitaste el fuego. Le contestó: - No, me quemé nomás. Se fue por allí con la cola ardiendo. Entonces la lumbre fue regando, la recogieron los que la querían. La vieja se enojó mucho, pero ¿qué iba a hacer? Ya se la habían quitado. Por eso ahora ya todos tenemos lumbre, es por eso que el Tlacuache tiene la cola pelada porque se la quemó Así termina este cuento.

NAHUATL IN NANITAJ KITASOJTAYA IN TIT Ne ton tonal kijtoaj ayamo onkaya tit in taltikpak, ne amokuali inanajtsin, yetoya ne kipiyaya in tit ne ompa ya tak ne kani, ompa ne kipiya, amo kininkauilia in tokniuan de nikan taltikpak, kijtoaj ne amo kinekia kikauas. Kitajtaniliayaj maj kinimaka, pero amo, yej kitasojta para yejua saj in ne titsin, miakej kitajtaniliayaj favor. - ¡Xitechmaka in tit!. - Amo, porque nejín tit para nejua saj, noaxka in tit. Nion akin kimakaya, miakej kitajtaniliayaj pero nion akin kimakaya, nochi Kitajtaniliayaj saj, sayoj para yejua. Se tonal tanemilijkej kiluijkej yejua ne takuatsin, kiluiaj: - Tej xiyouj, xa uelis tikixtiliskia in tit. Ximoapalo kuali uan xiyouj como que tiktajtanilin favor timototoniti, uan tej kemej tikuitapilueyak ika mokuitapil tikualkuiteuas in tit. Ne takuatsin kichiuj in tein kinauatijkej, neli kit sentonal ya yon moapapankalakito, kit de meluaj moajauij kit, uan yajkiya yek apaltik kajsito ne nanitaj. Por eso aman tikitaj sa uijuitstik. Uiuiyokatiuj in yajki, ijkón kit ne ajsik ne nanajtsin kitajtanilijtiuj favor, kiluia: - ¡Ay Dios!, maj nimototoni tepitsin, de meluaj nisekui nej, pero amo nimitskuilia, kan nimitskuilia porque tikitstok de melauj nisekui uan niapaltik. Amo niuitsa nimitskuiliki ta siquiera maj ompa nimototoni saj. Pero ne katka takuatsin ipa achto ya kinauatijkej para kichtakakuiliti. Ne nanitaj neli kit kilua: - Kemaj, pero ampón yek uejkatsin ximototoni komojkón Kiknelij porque kitstok que neli kipoloa, como que ne ompa mokekepa ne axtok kit ne takuatsin mototonia, uan ne amokualinanitaj como que semi nanitaj ya peuak ixkokochi, como que amo kichiua cuenta, ijuak ya yoliktsin, yoliktsin peuak kikalakia ne ikuitapil, yoliktsin, hasta kualitsin kitamikalakij ne tikoijtik uan sepa saj kimachilij tamiyajkiya in ikuitapil, kiganchojuijteuj in tit uan tsikuinteuj hasta ikuitapil xotatiuj. - ¡Ay nanitaj nimochichinoj ya!, ¡aman kemaj nimotajtatij ya! In nanitaj amo uel kikitskij ok in takuatsin, choloj. -!Ay nanitajsol, amo porque nimitsmalojuia! - ¡Amokualitakuatsin! Pos ipa titakeual, tinechkuilij ya aman kemaj in notitsin. Kiluia: - Amo, ta nimochichinoj. Kuitapilxotatiaj neuín. Ijuak ya tein kipijxoj nochi kiolojtiuetskej ya tein kinekiaj in tit, uan ompa ne nanitaj, kualania pero ¿toni in kichiuati? ta ipa kikuilijkej ya. Entos ne satepan nochi tikpiyaj ya in tit, ne por eso ata yon takuatsin kuitapilxipetstik, yon porque tatak in ikuitapil, ika kikuito in tit. Nikan tamik in sanil. José de la Cruz Pérez.