A Pukwudgie, also spelled Puk-Wudjie (another spelling, ''Puck-wudj-ininee'', translated by

Henry Schoolcraft Henry Rowe Schoolcraft (March 28, 1793 – December 10, 1864) was an American geographer, geologist, and ethnologist, noted for his early studies of Native American cultures, as well as for his 1832 expedition to the source of the Mississippi ...

as "little wild man of the woods that vanishes"), is a

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...

-like creature of

Wampanoag The Wampanoag, also rendered Wôpanâak, are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of the Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Northeastern Woodlands currently based in southeastern Massachusetts and forme ...

folklore, found in

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

, and parts of

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

and

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, sometimes said to be tall.

In mythology

According to legend, Pukwudgies can appear and disappear at will, shapeshift (of which the most common form is a creature that looks like a porcupine from the back and a half-troll, half-human from the front and walks upright), lure people to their deaths, use magic, launch poison arrows, and create fire. Native Americans believed that Pukwudgies were once friendly to humans, but then turned against them, and are best left alone. According to lore, a person who annoyed a Pukwudgie would be subject to nasty tricks by it, or subject to being followed by the Pukwudgie, who would cause trouble for them. They are known to kidnap people, push them off cliffs, attack their victims with short knives and spears, and to use sand to blind their victims.''The Good Giants And The Bad Pukwudgies''. Jean Fritz; illustrations by Tomie de Paola. Putnam, 1982 Pukwudgies are said to be the enemies of culture heroes, the giant Maushop and his wife, Granny Squannit. One story from Wampanoag folklore explains that they began causing mischief and tormenting the natives out of jealousy of the devotion and affection the natives had for Maushop, who eventually exiled them to different parts of North America. The Pukwudgies have since been hostile to humans, and took revenge by killing Maushop's five sons. Some variations even suggest that they killed Maushop himself.

References

{{Anishinaabe fairies forest spirits legendary creatures of the indigenous peoples of North America mythic humanoids mythological tricksters Ojibwe legendary creatures supernatural legends