86 
In winter there are no Nakani, which is a considerable comfort to 
the natives. When asked why there were none at that season, the Indians 
said that it would be useless for anyone to try to be secretive when his 
trail would always appear in the snow. 
The characteristics of the Nakani, such as stealing suddenly upon the 
hunter who has gone incautiously into the darkness beyond the light of 
the camp-fires, with the purpose of killing him, as it is believed, or in the 
case of a woman, of carrying her off mysteriously, strongly suggests the 
raiding of unfriendly natives. As might be expected, more cases of escape 
from this danger than actual injuries are to be related. Some unaccounted 
for track in the neighbourhood of the camp may give rise to a Nakani 
story of incredible proportions, as when a woman claims to have pulled 
herself free from the actual hands of her attacker, ascribing a superhuman 
appearance to him. The source of such a story might lie in purposeful 
or playful attack of a recognizable nature, or more possibly in the fear of 
such an attack. 
Another incident serves to define some of the characteristics of the 
Nakani. The sled trail of a white man who during the spring was travel- 
ling alone with fast dogs and with the impetuous custom of not stopping 
to use fire in the preparation of his meals, led Indians to believe that the 
trail was that of a Nakani since, as they said, this individual left in his 
trail no sign of enjoyment of rest or food. 
Thus is seen in the Nakani the purposes of killing men and stealing 
women joined w r ith the characteristics of superhuman strength, ability to 
go unusual lengths of time without food, and an association with summer 
and the idea of the ‘unseen’. This complex of traits suggests in so many 
ways the former raiding of other Indians that one is led to believe these 
raids are the source of an attitude that has been exaggerated through fear. 
It should be noted that Ross (“Notes on the Tinneh”, 1879, page 309) 
has held the same opinion on the origin of the Nakani or ‘Bad Indian’ 
among the eastern Athapaskan. 
No informant had heard of the Windigo belief nor apparently was 
the Nakani cannibalistic. 
Feasts . Petitot reports a spring festival among the Hares at the new 
moon of the native month of the rut of the caribou (March-April) . At 
nightfall, he says, in each tent meat is cut up and cooked, then divided 
and put into the hunting bag of each man. The men, armed with cudgels, 
then gather in one tent. They leave the tent in a procession, "walking in 
a stooped position as if succumbing under the load of meat, and singing a 
special song. They visit all the tents, stopping for a few minutes at each 
one and feasting, until they have made the whole round of the camp 
(See Petitot, 1876, page 95). There is some corroborative evidence, 
including a phonograph record of the probable song for this ceremony, 
but no one was found among the Satudene who could or would recall the 
details. 
The song for another ceremony among the Satudene, apparently very 
much the same, was recorded on the phonograph, in connexion with the 
eclipse. It is said that the eclipse itself may mean starvation, sickness, 
or disaster. As soon as the eclipse started, the men put on pack sacks 
