A Dzunukwa or wild woman of the woods mask, deep carved, dark paint with red lips cheek and ears, holes drilled in scalp where hair had been attached

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Dzunuk´wa

Wild Woman of the Woods

In most Dzunuk´wa legends, this giant of the woods is female, black in colour, with messy hair, exposed breasts and a puckered mouth. She is a terrifying and threatening creature who carries a huge basket on her back into which she puts the mischievous children she captures. Although Dzunuk´wa is a giant, she is easily out-witted by children as she is not so smart and very clumsy.

Dzunuk´wa by Pauline Alfred

Kwak´wala Transcript

k´a’yolatsa Dzunuk´wa ka’s. ‘Waladzi bagwanamida Dzunuk´wa. p´ap´as Halsala’am Dukwala’! Am hayulis ax’ige’sa Laxe’. ’Walas am’xa’e’ U’yida Dzunuk´wa gayula’s lame’ alax p´ap´asa’. Gax’naxwa ke’nakwala kax’s aliya xa ganganam kax’s galutła’. La naxwa’eda Dzunuk´wa, napt´sola sa gangananam laxa laxe’ laxis awige’. Kax’s le’s laxis gukw laxa at´łi. Loł’leda Dzunuk´wa dax’i xa gangananam. ‘Namuxw’la’eda gananam. I’s hiłk´olam amła dła’wis ‘wi’wa’okw Gayules udzałe’es samses. Gax’mi Dzunuk´wa daxi’d galagawe’ dax’i xa udzałe’ sams. Napt´sude’s laxa laxe’. He’am dax’i xa ‘wi’wa’okw gangananam ka’s napt´sude’s. La’am ik´i’stala laxa at´łi laxis gukw. K´awayu’nukwida gananam xa udzałe sams. La’am t´us’i xa laxe’. La’am daxwałt´so’wida gangananam ka’s dzalxw’ide’. La’am k´wak´walasus sa gananam yaxis a’amłałasu’xwdi. ‘Walas iki noke’se gangananam. Ix’idi ni’noka’yes ka’eda gananamx xa udzałes sams. Hiłk´olam amła dła’wi gayula’s la k´wak´walax.

English Transcript

The Dzunuk´wa is a big man who lives way up in the woods. He’s almost blind, and moves very slowly. He always carries a basket on his back cause he will come down from his house way up in the forest to collect children. There was a bunch of children playing, but they wouldn’t let this one boy play with them because he had deformed lips. So, the boy with deformed lips was sitting on a log trying to carve a stick with his knife. Dzunuk´wa got there and he threw the boy with the knife in his basket. Then he went over to grab all the other kids and threw them in the basket too. Then the Dzunuk´wa started to walk up to his house way up in the forest. The boy with the deformed lips used his knife to cut a whole in the basket and him and the other children escaped and ran home. After that the children treated him really well because he was a hero and saved their lives.

Catalogue Information

Materials

Wood, Cedar; Paint, Graphite; Paint, Enamel; Fibre, Cotton; Hair, Human

Dimensions

40.8 cm

Accession Number

80.01.041

Physical Description

Dzunuk´wa mask mask painted black with graphite admixture overall. The eyes, ears, mouth, and lower cheek hollows are red, composed of an underpainting of vermilion which was later painted over with red enamel. The ears are separate pieces attached with twine. There are three parallel lines of holes drilled across the forehead intended to receive pegs used to secure human hair (little evidence of hair at present). The upper cheek hollows are on the same horizontal plane as the ears. There are slight hollows at both edges of the forehead. The deep carving, the many hollows and the angular features give this mask a skeletal look.