Evening star., 1933-02-28
INSANITY IN NORTH
HAS WEIRD FORMS
"Witiko Psychosis," Craving
for Human Flesh, Attacks
Indian Tribes.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

Weird forms of insanity develop
among primitive peoples under the
northern lights.
Some hitherto unknown mani .eSta-
tions of mental disease from the Arctic
wlldernesses OF Northern Canada are
described in reports to the Cathollc
Anthropological Conference with head
quarters at Catholic University here.
The most dreaded is reported by Rev.
DR.. John NJ. Cooper, professor Of an
thropology at Catholic University, as
the "Witiko pSychoSiS' in which the
Indian develops a sudden craving Tor
human flesh and identifies himself with
The Witiko a legendary canniballstc
giant of the forests with a heart OF ice.
The malady is fairly common, DR..
Cooper reports, and it formerly was the
practice to kill anybody afflicted with it.
Many Starve to Death.
It is a disease, he believes, which
springs from the environment and cul-
ture of the Northern tribes and prob
ably could not be duplicated anywhere
else in the world. In the first place, he
explains, the Indians often go hungry
during the Winter and there prob
ably are more actual deaths from
starvation than anywhere else in the
world. The stress OF hunger turns the
thoughts 10 the relief thai would come
if human flesh could be eaten. Hunger
tends to overcome natural ScrupleS.
But, DR.. Cooper explains, just because
cannibalism is an ever present posi-
bility society for its own protection has
developed rigid taboos against it. A
profound horror of the practice is incul-
Gated in the Indian child from the
cradle. Thus there arises in the mind
OF the hungry man or woman during
the long Winter a profound conflict be-
tween starvation and the rigid taboo.
The taboo is SO strong that, in the
concept of the Indians, cannibalism Is
impossible for human being. 1t Is
against nature. From this it follows
logically, in the reasoning of the prim-
itive man, that if human being does
turn to this practice he or she must no
longer be human, but must have been
transformed into something elsa su-
pernatural creature of some kind.
The concept of ice-hearted, canni-
ballstic giants-the WitikoS-inhabit-
ing the Winter forests is strongly
grounded in the folklore of the North
ern peoples. DR.. Cooper traces the idea
back through Indian mythology to q
symbolization Of the spirit of Winter
men and women in its storms and snow
drifts. 1t represents the extreme peril.
But the symbolization long since has
been forgotten. The Witiko is looked
upon as reality. Even Indians who
have become greatly Europeanized, DR..
Cooper found, cannot free their minds
OF belief in these ice-hearted giants.
Transformed Into Witik0.
Now since human being. as the In
dams reason, cannot in the very nature
OF things crave human flesh if one
does, it follows logically that he can
not be human being any longer, but
IN some way has been transformed into
a Witiko. 1t is not the unfortunate
victims fault if, by some supernatural
agency and without his own connivance,
he has been changed over into one of
these horrible creatures and it furnishes
means OF casing the conscience for
violating the most rigid taboo of the
tribe. Hence natural craving and its
naturalization according to the pattern
OF tribal mythology go hand in hand to
produce the strange psychosis.
The Witiko psychosis is recognized in
the tribes. The power of suggestion is
strong. So it may not require actual
hunger to produce the condition in a
naturally unstable personality. Mental
disturbances tend to follow folk pat
terms and the Witiko pattern is easily
available.
The essential part of the remedy, as
described by the Indians to DR.. Cooper,
was for the victim to swallow hot bear
grease to melt the heart of ice This
procedure probably has considera BILE
suggestive power in returning the pa
tient to normal. In former times the
victim sometimes was killed if this cure