Putting it here on bluesky for those who never heard of it: Wend*go are not cool little cryptid monsters you find in horror games and movies. It's part of actual living tradition in different native american stories. They've repeatedly asked people to stop using the name. --> - ThreadSky

mtomauw.bsky.social • 22 days ago

Putting it here on bluesky for those who never heard of it:

Wend*go are not cool little cryptid monsters you find in horror games and movies. It's part of actual living tradition in different native american stories. They've repeatedly asked people to stop using the name.

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Comments

amummy.bsky.social•22 days ago

Yeah it really bothers me a lot

and even having a popular Youtuber using one as his name(even if i like his content) has rubbed me wrong forever.

It literally takes negative effort to be respectful of a cultures wishes and change it to something else.

laberries.bsky.social•22 days ago

That was my first ick until I saw his Twitter where he uses Parler, is a Kyle Rittenhouse advocate, is friends with shoeonhead and friends with Brandon Herrera. It really took a lot out of me to unsub

amummy.bsky.social•22 days ago

I remember him defending some people shitty yeah. It really sucks. Bleh

nikolaiar.bsky.social•22 days ago

It’s his culture; he’s indigenous.

amummy.bsky.social•22 days ago

Was he? I wasn't sure. Well, then I retract what I say about his username.

nikolaiar.bsky.social•22 days ago

Yeah! Most people don’t know, but I knew I saw my people a mile away 🤣 though, to be more specific he’s Cherokee (idk I’d he claims it that’s his business) and was raised around folklore.

amummy.bsky.social•22 days ago

I will say my second statement about changing something wasn’t about HIS username specifically, it was a disjointed thought concerning the entire discussion. But looking back it made me look like I was demanding HE change it. As a white person I don’t have a ground to stand on here LOL.

mtomauw.bsky.social•22 days ago

I know the youtuber you mean and that's been the major reason why I never click on his videos.

jjacobmarion.bsky.social•22 days ago

In my experience, it's definitely been more about it being portrayed at a deer creature when that's a relatively modern invention from a movie in the 60s and not actually reflective of the actual myth for most of the tribes who believe it in. It's just not accurate to 90% of the actual beliefs.

jjacobmarion.bsky.social•22 days ago

Personally, I've never seen an actual person from these traditions, ranging from Cree, Algonquin, Ojibwe, Lakota, etc., which actually say anything about the name. It's totally possible I'm wrong, but, from my actual professional research into the topic, it seems more the portrayal

jjacobmarion.bsky.social•22 days ago

And, knowing how the internet is, I can totally see how people took the Navajo taboo against naming a certain evil being and went "Well, all Indians are the same so it must be true here too!" regardless of the fact these two traditions are a continent apart.

jjacobmarion.bsky.social•22 days ago

In fact, that closest I've seen from an actual indigenous person I talked to about this is not whistling at night or it will attract them.

laberries.bsky.social•22 days ago

Megwiitch (Thank you!) for saying this!!!

lokeyez.bsky.social•22 days ago

I know personally I only refer to them by their designated name if I'm explaining their origin to people. Like how Wend*go are of Algonquin origin and Sk*nwalkers are of Navajo origin.

mtomauw.bsky.social•22 days ago

Just name your deerhead skull character something else.

Options to consider
Flesh starved beast
The hungry ones
The starved
They who come at night
The antlered-
etc

mtomauw.bsky.social•22 days ago

The use of the name being 'forbidden' ranges from person to person. Some will simply not say it out loud, others don't even write or think about it.

Another 'creature' that's misnamed is sk*nwalkers
This is another one people have been asked to stop naming that. Shapeshifter/copycat is fine.

tropicalscream.bsky.social•20 days ago

i have an indigenous friend from the southwest who has talked about how annoyed they are with the whole SW thing being used so much especially on like horror videos talking about ruckin Europe or something. like not even the right continent

mtomauw.bsky.social•20 days ago

it's shenanigans cuz europe/germanic countries have the doppelganger which is way closer to the creature what people use the SW name for
like shapeshifter/copycat/doppelganger are all perfectly fine for the horror creature

tropicalscream.bsky.social•20 days ago

plus like im sure im misremembering but they mentioned that irt the tribes they were from SW weren't some horrible monster but like taught Important Lessons™ & were like significant teachers and spirits rhat talked to holy men

so like having something like that seen as monster for content also bad

mtomauw.bsky.social•22 days ago

Horror/monster/cryptid enjoyers have been yoinking names from places they're not supposed to be yoinked from. Dig into where a name comes from before using it.

I also fucked up in the past cuz I didn't know. The best time to do better is once you know how to.

cockycorvidae.bsky.social•22 days ago

Also in those traditions they're never even described like that, with the deer skull or anything, so there's literally no reason it has to have anything to do with it!!!

mtomauw.bsky.social•22 days ago

yeah that name has literally nothing to do with the creatures horror people have been cooking up.

cockycorvidae.bsky.social•22 days ago

And like you can absolutely have some kind of cannibal spirit or monster or something, those exist in like every culture around the world and just as a general human fear, nobody's saying people can't use similar CONCEPTS... Just stop using that name!!!

mtomauw.bsky.social•22 days ago

Until Dawn really could've just called the things 'the cold ones' or some shit and it would've been perfectly fine but instead they had to go fucking appropriation with it

cockycorvidae.bsky.social•22 days ago

Yeah it really fucking sucks!!!

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