Pukwudgie

🌽🍂🦃Pukwudgie - The Wampanoag Wild Man

The event remembered as the First Thanksgiving was a three-day harvest feast in the autumn of 1621, attended by roughly 52 English Pilgrims and 90 Wampanoag men. The Wampanoag showed up after hearing the colonists firing guns, possibly believing they needed aid. While a rare moment of peaceful coexistence, the two groups sat and celebrated.

Over centuries, the Wampanoag Indigenous people believe in the existence of Pukwudgies. The name "Pukwudgie" translates roughly to "little wild man of the woods that vanishes". They are often described as small, human-like forest spirits, typically two to three feet tall, with gray, smooth skin, and enlarged facial features, in particular the eyes. Some accounts mention porcupine-like quills on their backs.

According to Wampanoag legend, Pukwudgies were once friendly to humans but became malicious after people showed more affection for the culture hero giant Maushop. Maushop exiled them, but they returned with a vengeance, their pranks turning deadly. Stories warn that they are best left alone, as disrespect can provoke serious harm.

Pukwudgies are attributed a range of supernatural abilities including appearing and disappearing at will. They can shapeshift into various animals, such as a porcupine or a cougar. Pukwudgies use a variety of magic, launch poison arrows at enemies, and have the ability to create fire at will.

They use glowing balls of light (Tei-Pai-Wankas, the spirits of those they've killed) to lure unsuspecting people into the wilderness, often to their deaths by pushing them off cliffs or into swamps.Pukwudgies can also confuse people, make them forget things, and are known to kidnap children or attack with bow and arrows or spears.

Even today, many people in Massachusetts, particularly around the Freetown State Forest, Hockomock Swamp, and even within Plymouth report sightings and attribute unexplained phenomena or deaths to these legendary creatures.

This Thanksgiving as you go for your second helping of yams show your gratitude there are no Pukwudgies in your presence...at least that you can see. 🌽🍂🦃