Wakka-us Kamuy ( Ainu ワッカウシカムイ) is the Ainu ''

kamuy A ''kamuy'' ( ain, カムィ; ja, カムイ, kamui) is a spiritual or divine being in Ainu mythology, a term denoting a supernatural entity composed of or possessing spiritual energy. The Ainu people have many myths about the ''kamuy'', passed ...

'' (''goddess'') of fresh water. She is also known as Petorush Mat (''Watering-place Woman'').

Depiction

Wakka-us Kamuy is portrayed as a long-haired woman who is a skilled dancer and singer.Ashkenazy, Michael. ''Handbook of Japanese Mythology''. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio, 2003. 283-284

Mythology

In Ainu mythology, Wakka-us Kamuy is a benevolent goddess who oversees the river valleys around which Ainu communities centered and is responsible for all fresh water. She is sympathetic to humanity, and is sometimes petitioned to intercede with other ''kamuy'' on their behalf. One such myth tells how Wakka-us Kamuy ended a famine that had broken out. Petitioned by

Okikurmi or for short is an Ainu ''kamuy'' (''god'') and culture hero. In Ainu mythology, he is credited with teaching humans domestic skills, and for this reason he is called Ainurakkur (アイヌラックㇽ, ''father of the Ainu'' or ''father of huma ...

, the

culture hero A culture hero is a mythological hero specific to some group ( cultural, ethnic, religious, etc.) who changes the world through invention or discovery. Although many culture heroes help with the creation of the world, most culture heroes are imp ...

and sorcerer, she invites the ''kamuy'' of the rapids, the ''kamuy'' of fish, the ''kamuy'' of game, the goddess of the hunt Hasinaw-uk Kamuy, and the overseer of the land Kotan-kor Kamuy to a feast. She dances and sings, entertaining them, and in the course of the evening brings up the humans' plight. The fish ''kamuy'' informs her that the humans were not killing fish in the proper ritual manner, so he has locked the salmon in his storehouse; the game ''kamuy'' says the same of the deer. Kotan-kor Kamuy is angry as well, because the humans have not made offerings to him. Wakka-us Kamuy and the sympathetic Hasinaw-uk Kamuy, while continuing to dance, send their souls to the storehouses and let the deer and salmon loose; in order to avoid making a scene, the other ''kamuy'' had no choice but to continue the feast. Afterward, Wakka-us Kamuy sends a dream to Okikurmi, telling him what had happened and why, and warning him to see that the rituals were carried out in proper fashion.

References

*Ashkenazy, Michael. ''Handbook of Japanese Mythology''. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio, 2003. *Etter, Carl. ''Ainu Folklore: Traditions and Culture of the Vanishing Aborigines of Japan''. Chicago: Wilcox and Follett, 1949. *Munro, Neil Gordon. ''Ainu Creed and Cult''. New York: Columbia University Press, 1995. {{refend Ainu kamuy Water goddesses