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Native American Legends: Nagumwasuk (Nagumwasuck)

Name: Nagumwasuk
Tribal affiliation: Passamaquoddy
Alternate spellings: Nagumwasuck, Nagumwasug
Pronunciation: nah-gum-wah-suck
Also known as: The singular form of their name is Nagumwas
Type: Native American little people
Related figures in other tribes: Geow-lud-mo-sis-eg (Maliseet), Nikommo, Paisa (Miami)

 Nagumwasuk are hideously ugly sprites who live near Passamaquoddy settlements. People who laugh at nagumwasuk or are rude to them take ill and die, but they bring good fortune and supernatural assistance to those who treat them respectfully.

One of our Passamaquoddy volunteers believes that Nagumwasuck are the same creatures as the Wonakomehsok, another type of magical Wabanaki dwarves. Their names sound somewhat similar in Passamaquoddy, so the word "Nagumwasuck" could be one of many corruptions of "Wonakomehsok." However, our other Passamaquoddy volunteers maintain that these are two different types of little people and that Nagumwasuck lived near town and frequently helped the Passamaquoddy people, whereas Wonakomehsok were wild spirits of the river that people had to take care not to disturb.

Recommended Books of Related Native American Legends
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Giants of the Dawnland:
    A good collection of Wabanaki legends told by a Penobscot Indian author.
Algonquian Spirit:
    Excellent anthology of stories, songs, and oral history from the Maliseet and other Algonquian tribes.
The Deetkatoo:
    Traditional tales about little people from the Maliseet, Passamaquoddy, and other Native American tribes.

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Additional Resources

 Passamaquoddy mythology
 Passamaquoddy words
 Passamaquoddy reservation
 Languages of Maine
 Woodland Indian
 Algic list of words



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