Sunday, August 05, 2007

[windigo] taming the monster inside

Love the understatement:

The Canadian Encyclopedia describes Windigo as a "spirit...that takes possession of vulnerable persons and causes them to engage in various antisocial behaviours, most notably cannibalism."

Steve Pitt gives the lowdown:

Sometimes a Windigo breathes fire. It can talk, but mostly it hisses and howls. Windigos can fly on the winds of a blizzard or walk across water without sinking. They are stronger than a grizzly bear and run faster than any human being, which is bad news because human flesh happens to be a Windigo's favourite food.

In most cases, it was believed that white people were immune to becoming either victims of or Windigos themselves but John Long, a Hudson's Bay trader travelling through Ontario in the year 1799, came across a white Windigo. The victim did not become a towering, fire-breathing monster but he did exhibit the classic symptoms of Windigo Psychosis.

So much for the story and it is repeated here by but there is a serious psychological point behind it which the Ojibwa appreciated:

Almost all Windigos are self-created, Basil H. Johnston, Ojibwa scholar, states. A Windigo was a human whose selfishness has overpowered his self-control to the point that satisfaction is no longer possible. That is why Windigos are always hungry no matter how much they eat. In former times Ojibwa people would strive to keep their selfishness under control.

Now we're getting closer to home. Do you know anyone whose lust for something or someone - money, sex, power, overcomes his/her "human-ness" and the person becomes not unlike a monster? The more he has, the more he needs. He consumes and having consumed, moves on to another victim.

He can't be reasoned with, he doesn't operate that way any more.

The Cree tried to bribe the Windigo by offering him gifts but the Algonkin killed him quickly before he could kill them. I prefer to think the Windigo can somehow come out of it himself.

At least it has to start that way. Then it's a brave person who will come to the rescue.

1 comment:

  1. I think lust for power is all-consuming and so is love - or its impersonator, infatuation - at times for perfectly nice people can become terribly selfish when they are, or think they are, in love.

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