Dzunuḵ̓wa (pronounced "zoo-noo-kwah"), also Tsonoqua, Tsonokwa, Basket Ogress, is a figure in

Kwakwakaʼwakw mythology This article is about the spiritual beliefs, histories and practices in Kwakwaka'wakw mythology. The Kwakwaka'wakw are a group of Indigenous nations, numbering about 5,500, who live in the central coast of British Columbia on northern Vancouver ...

and Nuu-chah-nulth mythology . Dzunukwa

Description

She is an ancestor of the Namgis 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 in colour, old monster with long pendulous breasts. She is also described as having bedraggled hair. In

mask A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practic ...

s and

totem pole Totem poles ( hai, gyáaʼaang) are monumental carvings found in western Canada and the northwestern United States. They are a type of Northwest Coast art, consisting of poles, posts or pillars, carved with symbols or figures. They are usually ...

images she is shown with bright red pursed lips because she is said to give off the call "Hu!" It is often told to children that the sound of the wind blowing through the

cedar Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae *Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona * ...

trees is actually the call of Dzunuḵ̓wa. 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 eyesight, and can be easily avoided because she can barely see. She is also said to be rather drowsy and dim-witted. She possesses great wealth and will bestow it upon those who are able to get control of her child. In one myth a tribe tricks her into falling into a pit of fire. The tribe burned her for many days until nothing was left, which prevented her from reviving herself. It is said that the ashes that came off this fire turned into mosquitoes.

Role in the Kwakwaka'wakw potlatch ceremony

At the end of a Kwakwaka'wakw

potlatch A potlatch is a gift-giving feast practiced by Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of Canada and the United States,Harkin, Michael E., 2001, Potlatch in Anthropology, International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Science ...

ceremony, the host chief comes out bearing a mask of Dzunuḵ̓wa which is called the ''geekumhl''. This is the sign that the ceremony is over.

Notes

References

* Hawthorn, Audrey (1988). ''Kwakiutl Art.'' University of Washington Press. . * Jonaitis, Aldona (1991). ''Chiefly Feasts: The Enduring Kwakiutl Potlatch''. University of Washington Press. . * McDowell, Jim (1997). ''Hamatsa: The Enigma of Cannibalism on the Pacific Northwest Coast''. Ronsdale Press. . * Wallas, James and Pamela Whitaker (1989). ''Kwakiutl Legends''. Hancock House Publishing. .

External links

{{Commons category, Dzunukwa
Information about Dzunukwa
in

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

Dzunukwa mask held at Brooklyn Museum

Dzunukwa Mask at Umista Museum
Kwakwaka'wakw deities Female legendary creatures Ogres Mythological cannibals Legendary progenitors

Description

Role in the Kwakwaka'wakw potlatch ceremony

See also

Notes

References

External links