The Athabascan Chindi: A Mini-Essay

     For the Athabascans, an indigenous tribe in Alaska, the fear of malicious spirits prompts them to take several precautions to avoid vengeful ghosts. One process involves removing the sick from their homes to prevent them from dying within their abode. As the Athabascans believe, those who die of illness within their house return as a chindi, an evil spirit who haunts their former dwelling. If this occurs, the homestead and all of its belongings have to be burned to the ground. In fact, nothing from the cursed house should be used, even for firewood, out of fear the chindi will torment its user.[1]

Works Referenced

Marriott, Alice, and Carol Rachlin. American Epic: The Story of the American Indian. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1969.

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[1] Marriott and Rachlin, 75.