Magic and the Supernatural - Lancaster University

Martina Rössler
__________________________________________________________________
The nine-year old girl is terrified and feels overwhelmed by supernatural
phenomena which are – or so she has been taught by her parents – imaginations of
the mind and therefore unreal.
Through her process of maturation and with the help of her grandmother,
Lisamarie learns to accept the supernatural as a part of her life, and her perception
of the b’gwus slowly starts to change as she realizes that the creature leads ‘an
ambiguous existence on the borders between reality and myth […] still haunting
the periphery of awareness.’ 13 Her growing belief in this mysterious hybrid figure
is mingled with a feeling of sympathy for him as Lisamarie learns from Ma-ma-oo
that he came into being after his wife had attempted to murder him in order to be
with his brother. However, the wife and her lover had to find out that the man had
survived and transformed into the b’gwus, who would later hunt them down and
kill them in revenge. 14 This account humanizes the Sasquatch and ‘dispels the
sense of monsters as ‘other’.’ 15 Lisamarie learns to regard the b’gwus as a being
with very human feelings and acquires an understanding of the importance of
mediation between the human and spirit worlds. This tale also introduces the idea
of retribution and crime into Lisamarie’s social context, themes which play
essential roles in Jimmy’s plan to avenge his girlfriend’s sexual abuse by her
uncle. 16 The b’gwus as the ‘supernatural agent of retribution’ helps Lisamarie
understand her younger brother’s decision to seek revenge, which ultimately leads
to a boating accident and perhaps his death. 17 The creation story of the sasquatch
mirrors Jimmy’s feeling for revenge and is therefore the key to understanding his
ulterior motive.
It is during her late teenage years that Lisamarie sights the b’gwus a second
time. Many years have passed since her first encounter with this mythical figure at
the age of nine, and her personality has been shaped decisively in the meantime.
The young woman is now partly willing to accept the Haisla part of her identity as
an integral part of herself, and is fairly determined to embrace her aboriginal
heritage. Driving down a winding road from Vancouver to Kitamaat, Lisamarie
suddenly sights a Sasquatch scurrying across the street. The matured young woman
has come to perceive supernatural creatures as supporters rather than opponents:
‘As I drove away, I felt deeply comforted knowing that magical things were still
living in the world.’ 18 Lisamarie returns to her home community after having
undergone a period of depression and misery under intense isolation in Vancouver,
where she has indulged in substance abuse. After her return to Kitamaat, Lisamarie
is determined to change her life in order to reintegrate into society. The Sasquatch
acts as an affirmation of her plans and reinforces her desire to alter her way of life.
It is her connection with the spirit world which provides Lisamarie with comfort in
addition to the hope and strength to carry on despite the deaths of beloved
relatives.
By using a figure such as the Sasquatch ‘whose power resides in its ability to
mimic humans, Robinson heightens the sense that the characters are constantly
61