Stolen spirits: the appropriation of the windigo spirit in western horror literature

Although well-documented in Western literature, the windigo spirit of stories like Pet Sematary by Stephen King and “The Wendigo” by Algernon Blackwood are stripped of their original context and are mere stereotypes of the cultures they originate from. By looking at the depictions of windigo in specific Western stories and in Native beliefs, it is possible to see how appropriation has long-lasting effects on the perceptions of Native American cultures by the average consumer and even scientific communities. Ultimately, this paper argues that Native American spirits should belong to the cultures they originate from.