- Dzunukwa
In
Kwakwaka'wakw mythology Dzunukwa (also Tsonoqua) is the "wild woman of the forest". She is an ancestor of theNamgis clan through her son,Tsilwalagame . She is venerated as a bringer of wealth, but is also greatly feared by children, because she is also known as an ogress who steals children and carries them home in her basket to eat.Her appearance is that of a naked, black-skinned, furry monster with long pendulous breasts. In
mask s andtotem pole images she is shown with bright red pursed lips, because she is said to give off the call "Hu!" She is also described having long hair which fans out around her head, as if it was being blown in the wind. It is often told to children that the sound of the wind blowing through the cedar trees is actually the call of Dzunukwa. Some myths say that she is able to bring herself back from the dead (an ability which she uses in some myths to revive her children) and regenerate any wound. She has limited eye sight, and can be easily avoided because she can barely see. She is also said to be rather drowsy, and dim-witted. However, she possesses great wealth and bestows it upon those who are able to get control of her child. In one myth a tribe tricks her into falling into a pit full of fire. The tribe burned her for many days until nothing is left, which prevented her from reviving herself. It is said that the ashes that came off the fire turned into mosquitoes.At the end of a
Kwakiutl potlatch ceremony, the host chief comes out bearing a mask of Dzunukwa which is called the "Geekumhl." This is the sign that the ceremony is over.External links
* [http://nativedrums.ca/index.php/Masks/Dzunukwa?tp=a&bg=1&ln=e Dzunukwa profile at Native Drums]
* [http://www.baribal.nl/educatief/verhalen/dzunukwa.html Information about Dzunukwa] in Dutch
* [http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/living_legacies/dzunukwa_mask.php Dzunukwa mask held at Brooklyn Museum]Bibliography
*"Kwakiutl Legends" by Chief James Wallas
*"Hamatsa: The Enigma of Cannibalism on the Pacific Northwest Coast" by Jim McDowell
*"Kwakiutl Art" by Audry Hawthorn
*"Chiefly Feasts: The Enduring Kwakiutl Potlatch" by Aldona Jonaitis
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