The indigenous peoples of North America possess some of the richest and most diverse mythological traditions on Earth, spanning hundreds of distinct nations, languages, and cultural groups. Supernatural draws on several of these traditions, though — as with much popular culture — the show tends to flatten the enormous diversity of Native American belief systems into a generalized category.
Traditions Referenced in Supernatural
The Algonquian-speaking peoples (Ojibwe, Cree, Innu, and related nations) provide the source material for the wendigo — one of the show's earliest and most memorable monsters. The wendigo tradition is specific to these northern peoples and is deeply tied to the harsh realities of sub-Arctic survival.
Navajo tradition contributes the concept of the skinwalker (yee naaldlooshii), though the show's treatment diverges substantially from the original beliefs. In Navajo culture, skinwalkers are witches who have committed unspeakable acts to gain their powers, and the tradition carries profound spiritual weight that is difficult to translate into a monster-of-the-week television format.
Other Native American concepts referenced or adapted in the show include various trickster figures (which influenced the characterization of Gabriel/Loki), spirit animals, and vision quests.
Cultural Context
It is worth acknowledging that the use of Native American folklore in popular entertainment is a fraught subject. Many indigenous communities view the casual borrowing of sacred traditions by outsiders as disrespectful. Some stories are considered dangerous to tell outside of proper ceremonial contexts. The wendigo, for instance, is not simply a "cool monster" in Algonquian culture — it represents real spiritual and psychological dangers, and some communities believe that speaking about wendigos casually can attract their attention.
Supernatural, to its credit, generally treats these traditions with more respect than many genre shows, but the inherent limitations of a weekly monster-hunt format mean that deep cultural context is inevitably lost.
Creatures from this Tradition
- Wendigo - Former humans twisted by cannibalism into insatiable predatory creatures.
- Skinwalker - Beings that can transform into a specific animal form, infiltrating human households disguised as pets.