Bakwas
Encyclopedia
Bakwas is one of the supernatural spirits of the Kwakwaka'wakw
people of coastal British Columbia
. He is often called "wild man of the woods." He eats ghost food, out of cockle shells and tries to offer it to living humans who are stranded in the woods, in order to bring them over to the ghost world. If the human were to eat this food, it will turn them into a being like the bakwas. He lives in an invisible house in the forest and the spirits of the drowned congregate there. In some myths he is described as the consort of dzunukwa
, and the father of her children.
He is similar to ghost beings belonging to the cultures of other Northwest Coast tribes. The Tlingit have kushtaka
, or land-otter people; the Haida have gagit, drowned spirit ghosts; the Nootka
(Nuu-Chah-Nulth) have pukubts, a name which seems etymologically related to the Kwakiutl bakwas, as is the Tsimshian
ba'wis.
Kwakwaka'wakw
The Kwakwaka'wakw are an Indigenous group of First Nations peoples, numbering about 5,500, who live in British Columbia on northern Vancouver Island and the adjoining mainland and islands.Kwakwaka'wakw translates as "Those who speak Kwak'wala", describing the collective nations within the area that...
people of coastal British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. He is often called "wild man of the woods." He eats ghost food, out of cockle shells and tries to offer it to living humans who are stranded in the woods, in order to bring them over to the ghost world. If the human were to eat this food, it will turn them into a being like the bakwas. He lives in an invisible house in the forest and the spirits of the drowned congregate there. In some myths he is described as the consort of dzunukwa
Dzunukwa
Dzunukwa, also Tsonoqua, Tsonokwa, is a figure in Kwakwaka'wakw mythology . She is an ancestor of the Namgis clan through her son, Tsilwalagame...
, and the father of her children.
He is similar to ghost beings belonging to the cultures of other Northwest Coast tribes. The Tlingit have kushtaka
Kushtaka
Kushtaka are mythical creatures found in the stories of the Tlingit and Tsimshian Indians of Southeastern Alaska. Loosely translated, kushtaka means, "land otter man"....
, or land-otter people; the Haida have gagit, drowned spirit ghosts; the Nootka
Nootka
Nootka may refer to:* The Nuu-chah-nulth indigenous peoples and their Nuu-chah-nulth language* The place called Nootka Sound* The island known as Nootka Island* The three treaties signed in the 1790s, known as the Nootka Conventions...
(Nuu-Chah-Nulth) have pukubts, a name which seems etymologically related to the Kwakiutl bakwas, as is the Tsimshian
Tsimshian
The Tsimshian are an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Tsimshian translates to Inside the Skeena River. Their communities are in British Columbia and Alaska, around Terrace and Prince Rupert and the southernmost corner of Alaska on Annette Island. There are approximately 10,000...
ba'wis.
External links
- http://nativedrums.ca/index.php/Masks/Bakwas?tp=a&bg=1&ln=e
- http://www.coghlanart.com/bookwus.htm
- http://www.himwitsa.com/Shopping/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=42&cat=%22Mask%22+Custom+Orders