In Algonquian tradition (Ojibwe, Cree, Algonquin), the Wendigo is a winter cannibal spirit tied to famine, greed, and the deep forests of the Great Lakes and boreal North America. In Lake of the Woods country, elders warn of a gaunt, ice-hearted giant stalking frozen shorelines—its presence blamed for eerie cries and dread on wind-scoured nights. Historical “Wendigo” cases in the region (e.g., Jack Fiddler in northwestern Ontario, 1907; related accounts in Minnesota and the prairies) keep the legend close to these islands and the name they bear.