Algonquian
A large family of related languages and the Indigenous nations who speak them, spread across the northeastern and subarctic regions of North America.
Definition
The Algonquian languages are one of the largest Indigenous language families on the continent, with member nations stretching from the Atlantic coast deep into the boreal forests of central Canada. The Ojibwe, Cree, Innu, Naskapi, Mi’kmaq, Lenape, and Algonquin are all part of this family.
The Wendigo tradition is documented across Algonquian-speaking communities particularly in the subarctic — in places where the winter lasted long enough that famine was a recurring possibility. The figure functioned as both a spiritual category and a moral warning. It is not “folklore” in any diminishing sense; it is theology and history.
When this guide refers to “Algonquian” it is referring to that broad linguistic-cultural family, not to any single nation. Specific entries (notably The Wendigo) draw on the traditions of particular nations within it.