Bookwus is one of the most important sacred beings in the mythology of the Kwakwaka´wakw (literally, those who speak Kwak´wala) along the coast of British Columbia. He is the God of the Underworld who eats ghost-food out of cockle shells, and offers it to stranded humans along the route of their journey. He brings to his realm the Spirits of the Drowned who crossed over to the other side and already sampled his offering. He takes control of their souls, and leads them to his invisible house in the forest – decorated with skulls, treasures, and bones. Also, ‘the Suicides’ congregate around him.
Bookwus is associated with the souls of people who died prematurely. He is sometimes called the Spirit of a Drowned Canoe. He is a leading example of the ghost-beings who belong to cultures of many Northwest Coast nations. His more northern version – called Bawas by the Tsimshian – is almost human in appearance.
Background
Bookwus is a mystical supernatural presence in the oral myth of Kwakwaka´wakw (previously known as the Kwaqiutl). He is the local equivalent of the Greek god Hades "the unseen", the King of the Dead. His spirit-ghost can be found among the beliefs originating from psychically distant regions. The masks representing him were usually carved with great care; they are often modelled on the human skull itself.
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 | Bookwus dancer, or Paqusilahl, wearing his mask. Photograph from BC Archives, 1914. |
Bookwus has easily recognizable features such as the sunken eye-sockets with round inhuman eyes below prominent, strong eye-brows. His nose is curved like a short beak of a bird of pray, with two bright red nostrils. He has elongated ears that stand upright and alert, representing his acute hearing. His long ears feral in appearance (which is a dead giveaway) resemble those of a silent wildcat in the region. His forehead and cheeks often have ridges carved
into them, to emphasize his skull-like features. Sometimes, his fleshy lips can also be retreating to expose his perfect teeth.
Ancestry
The Tlingit (or the Land-otter People) have Kushtaka. The Haida have Gagit, the Spirit of the Drowned hovering near him. The Nootka (Nuu-Chah-Nulth) have Pukubts, etymologically synonymous with the Kwaqiutl Spirit of Bookwus (Bakwas). The Tsimshian (Tsim-she-yan) have Ba′wis.
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Mask of Bukwus,
The Burke Museum |
Bookwus, or the Wildman of the Woods reigns deep in the back country, or sometimes on the edge of the forest near the ocean shore. He lurks at the mouths of rivers where he persuades the souls of the drowned to consume his ghost-food and come live with him. He owns an invisible house in the woods where he lives surrounded by spirits. Some of them can be brought back to life according to differing legends, especially during the winter dance of the Hamatsa season.
Bookwus the Wildman is an anthropomorphic deity meaning, he is human rather than animal in appearance, with human features. Even though he is the ruler of the underworld, Bookwus has no means to exert justice on anybody deserving of punishment in the afterlife. Rather, he is there to ease the pain of parting with a cockleshell full of ghost food which makes the deceased forget and forgo of the natural world. He travels in the company of skeletal ghost-dancers associated with the Winalagalis spirit ritual and its grisly concern.
* Selected sources: Franz Boas, George Hunt (1906), Kwakiutl Texts – Second series. The Jesup North Pacific Expedition; New York, Vol. X, Part 1, pp. 62, 63 (72, 73 in PDF). American Museum of Natural History, Digital Repository; New York, NY.
Painting development process
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The design for the "Bookwus" oil painting was developed later in the series; but has made a major impact on all representations. In the original sketch, Bookwus gave the impression of being impatient; sitting around rolling his thumbs. That, wasn't necessary, given the inevitability of his coming. |
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In the subsequent study Bookwus was made to look intrigued during a chance encounter. The new pose resembled that of an iconic bigfoot photograph, thus emphasizing his elusive character. The concept of a front panel was reinforced, but the bust idea (pictured here) was abandoned later as perplexing. Resulting from this, an earlier painting of the "Tsonoqua" was redesigned from scratch. |
General comment on references
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| Pugwis, MOA, Vancouver BC |
On many websites, the supernatural beings of the Pacific Northwest are either misidentified or lumped with other anthropomorphic creatures, as one and the same. Bookwus, Bukwus – which is a feral creature of the forest – is said to be known also as Pugwis or Pu′gwis, but Pugwis is an aquatic Spirit of the Sea, whose unique features include oversized incisors and gills. Pugwis is not an alternative spelling of Bookwus.
Posted by Richard Tylman on Facebook, September 10, 2018.
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