Red Cedar wood, Cedar bark, Horse hair, Acrylic paint
21 x 13.5 x 9″
30 x 15 x 9″ (including hair)

Bukwus, also known as the Wild Man of the Woods, is an eerie supernatural creature from the Kwakwaka’wakw Nation. This figure can be found lurking at the edge of a stream or in the shadows of the forest, always in search of souls that he can steal for himself. The souls that are caught by the Bukwus can be seen hovering near him, and are eternally condemned to misery, hunger, wandering, and evilness.

In his new book, The Way Home: David Neel, David features the full story of how the Bukwus figure came to be. As the story goes, there was once a group of villagers who went fishing for salmon together every fall. One man wanted to become a strong warrior, and would walk a great distance from their fishing camp each morning to bathe in the freezing mountain stream and purify himself. However, one morning, the man could not find his way back to the camp. No matter what he tried, he would always end up back at the mountain stream. His friends from the camp eventually went searching for him, but they were unable to find their friend.

Upon the group’s return to the fishing camp the following year, the man was spotted by two of the women while they were canoeing. They quickly ran back to the camp to tell the others, who went out the next day to search for him. To their shock, when they found their friend, they realized that he had become a Wildman. Although they tried to catch him, he jumped far above their heads and escaped back into the woods. After coming up with a plan, they returned the next day and managed to capture the man, though it took a dozen men to hold him down and bind him. With the help of a shaman, they were eventually able to tame their lost friend, and he returned to his life as a villager. Still, he remained stronger and faster than any other man, becoming a great warrior for his people.

David Neel’s Bukwus Mask exemplifies several of the distinct features traditionally used to depict this Wild Man of the Woods. The mask is given a shadowy, human-like form, emphasizes the attributes of the human skull. It is painted in dark colour tones that are commonly associated with the forest, and features deeply sunken eyes, a strong protruding brow, hollowed cheeks, and a hooked nose. During ceremonies, the firelight casts dark shadows across these features, creating ominous shadows that accentuate this creature’s dark nature.

Red Cedar wood, Cedar bark, Acrylic paint

31 x 29 x 13.5″ (including base)

Currently on display at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel