Tradition: Canadian Mythology
Alternative Names: Narhnarem-Tsemaus, Wi’git, Weegyet, Snag, Supernatural Snag
Category: Whale
The Myth
The Tsemaus is a supernatural creature from the folklore of the Pacific Northwest, particularly among the Tsimshian and Haida peoples around the mouth of the Skeena River. It personifies river snags, floating logs, and other hazards of the water. Its appearance varies, but it usually has a snag-like dorsal fin or takes the form of a snag itself. It may resemble a dead log with a swimming tail, a sea lion, a grizzly bear, a frog covered in seaweed, or a hybrid of a bear, raven, and killer whale. Some accounts even describe it as a canoe or schooner.
The Tsemaus uses its dorsal fin to destroy boats and can swim upstream through log jams. When angered, it leaps onto canoes and smashes them apart or creates enormous waves that capsize vessels. It drowns people, who then become killer whales.
The creature is associated with Raven the trickster, and the name Wi’git or Weegyet connects it to one of Raven’s many forms. The creator and trickster Nanki’islas also assumed the form of a Tsemaus. The creature appears as a crest on the totem poles of coastal clans.
Sources
“Tsemaus.” A Book of Creatures, October 16, 2015. https://abookofcreatures.com/2015/10/16/tsemaus/