Legendary Native American Figures: Yakwawiak, the Big Rump Bear
Name: Yakwawiak Tribal affiliation:Lenape, Mohican, Shawnee Alternate spellings: Yakwawi'ak, Ya'kwahewak, Yakwawi, Ya'kwahe, Yakwahe Pronunciation: varies by dialect. Usually yah-kwah-wee-ock. Also known as: Big Rump Bear, Naked Bear, Amangachtiat, Amangachktiat, Amankaxkti'at Maxkwe, Ahamagachktiât Mecehquá, Ahamagachktiat Me-cehqua, Yagesho, Tagisho, Tagesho Type:Monster, stiff-legged bear Related figures in other tribes:Nyah-gwaheh, Katshituasku, Man-Eater, Hairless Bear
Yakwawiak were described as monstrous, man-eating creatures resembling enormous
stiff-legged hairless bears. (Yakwawiak is the plural form of their name;
Yakwawi and Ya'kwahe are singular forms referring to just one giant bear.) Although
"Yakwawiak" is the most common name for these monsters in the Lenape, Shawnee,
and other northeast Algonquian tribes, it is not an Algonquian word, and is probably
borrowed from the Iroquoian name Nia'gwahe (pronounced nyah-gwah-heh),
which means "Great Bear." Yagesho and Tagesho may be more corruptions of Iroquoian
names. The original Algonquian name for the monster was probably one of the variants
of Amangachktiat, which meant "big rumped" ("maxkwe" and "mecehqua" come from words
for "bear.") Some folklorists believe the Ya'kwahe may have been inspired by mammoths
or mastodon fossils. You can visit our
stiff-legged bear site
to read some opinions about that.
The Yakwawi is described as a mammoth or elephant by some modern Lenape storytellers,
though stories recorded in the past more often referred to it as a type of bear.
Yakwawiak Stories
The Mastodon:
Lenape Indian legend of an ancient war with the Yakwawiak (who this storyteller associates with mastodons.)
Recommended Books of Related Native American Legends
When the Chenoo Howls:
Spooky collection of Native American ghost stories and monster tales, told by a Native storyteller.
Native American cultures
The Mastodon:
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