BAKBAKWAKANOOKSIEWAE

Among the Kwakiutl of north-west Canada lives a great bird called Bakbakwakanooksiewae (‘the Cannibal at the North End of the World’). His other name is Hokhoku. With his wife Galokwudzuwis, he pursues human beings, smashing in their skulls and devouring the exposed brains. The Kwakkiutl enact a dance in which a youth is captured and transformed into Bakbakwakanooksiewae, wearing a beaked mask. The rest of the village chants and dances in order to catch the bird.