Wendigo

The Wendigo is an evil spirit and monster that appears in many Native American stories. Not all Native Americans believe in the Wendigo and the ones that do live in certain places, such as near the Great Lakes and eastern Canada. It is said to sometimes even have human-like features. It has a hunger for human flesh that can not be satisfied.

Name

The word Wendigo can be spelled in many ways.

The creature is called Wìdjigò in the Algonquin language and wīhtikōw in the Cree language.

Many Wendigo are called Windigoag.

Description

The wendigo is said to be ugly. It also likes to eat human flesh.

People who are possessed by wendigo spirits can become cannibals. That means they kill and eat other people.

Saying the word Wendigo is believed to make it appear, so people do not say it aloud or they censor it so that the full word is not written out (like wend*go)

Use of the word

The word wendigo is also used to describe greedy people who are never satisfied with what they have and just consume more and more. Therefore, it has been used to describe European colonization and its effects on Native people and the land.

Pop culture

The wendigo has appeared in many comics and shows.