These days, it seems that every state has its own backlog of mythological monsters. Everywhere you go, there are Bigfoot stories, werewolf stories or Nessie stories. Michigan is no different in this regard. We of course have our “dogman” myth, and there is Pressie, our own version of the Loch Ness monster swimming around in Lake Superior. But what sets us apart is the impact of Native American folklore and the unique creatures that come with it. Last week we mentioned a few of them, and this week I would like to take a closer look. First up: the wendigo.
The wendigo has existed in Native American legends for a very long time. As the myths have grown and evolved, the idea of what a wendigo is has grown a little more transient; however, there are two key elements: winter and cannibalism. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, “In Ojibwe, the term is defined as ‘a winter cannibal monster…’” As for what this creature looks like, well, it is hard to say. “Some legends say the wendigo is an emaciated figure with ashen flesh. Others describe it as a giant creature up to 15 feet tall or as a beast that grows larger the more it eats.” The different descriptions of the wendigo go on and on. Sometimes it has horns or antlers, sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes it has fur, sometimes it doesn’t. In some tribes’ versions of the myths, the wendigo isn’t a creature at all, but rather an evil spirit that possesses people and turns them into cannibals. One horrifying description of the monster says, “its lips are chewed or entirely missing because it has eaten them.”
The wendigo is probably one of the most well-known creatures in Native American folklore. Depictions of the creature can be found in popular movies, TV shows, books and even video games. If you’re looking for scary stories to tell around the campfire this Halloween, look no further. However, for your sake, I hope your stories aren’t firsthand accounts.
Another creature unique to Michigan is the Waheela. This creature is sometimes compared to a dire wolf or a bear-wolf hybrid. It is a subarctic beast, larger than a typical wolf and completely white. Its face is broader than your average wolf, and its tracks are large with wide spread claws. Unlike wolves, the waheela is a solitary creature. People who claim to have encounters with the Waheela say it is has supernatural speed and strength, and that it is capable of surviving multiple gunshots. Many accounts claim this monster bites the heads off its victims in a single bite. The Waheela is thought to stalk a region in Canada called the Nahanni Valley, that is “the headless valley.” In fact, it was Ivan T. Sanderson, one of the forefathers of cryptozoology, who went to investigate this Canadian beast. The accounts of the wolf-like monster terrorizing people in Nahanni Valley were so similar to stories he had heard about a creature in the woods of Northern Michigan, he decided to give it the same name. The website mysteriesofcanada.com has a lot of info about this myth. They have a description that comes from a letter that states, “They were impossible to kill. The animal looked a little like a Husky/Alsatian crossbreed, but was many times larger. Its rear was more akin to that of a Saint Bernard. It had an 11-foot-long body and a 4-foot-long tail.” Other sites indicate that the earliest account of the Waheela involves three trappers who were mauled to death in the north woods of Michigan during the colonial days.
Another popular creature from Native American folklore is the skinwalker. A skinwalker is essentially an evil witch. This legend comes to us by way of the Navajo. In their culture, the term “witch” could be applied to either a female or a male, but it always a malevolent magic user. The native word for a skinwalker is “yee naaldlooshii” meaning something like, “by means of it, it goes on all fours.” They are called this because one of the principal powers of a skinwalker is its ability to shapeshift. Some common animals that skinwalkers are thought to shift into are wolves, bears, foxes and coyotes. They also have the power to mimic the voice and speech of others, as well as supernatural strength and speed. If you remember my article about the not-deer last week, you may be starting to see why I said it could possibly share some DNA with Native American legends.
I hope these terrifying Native American creatures have given you some good fodder for either Halloween costumes or scary stories. And I hope they don’t cause any nightmares. Stay safe out there!
