Skookum

Lore & Background

In the context of monsters, a skookum is a variety of mountain giant or monster similar to the Sasquatch or Bigfoot. In the surviving Chinuk-Wawa spoken in Grand Ronde, Oregon, this variant is pronounced differently—skoo-KOOM—but when used in English with this meaning, it is pronounced the same way as the 'big and strong' meaning. Skookums were considered bad spirits or devils, of which crows, eagles, owls, blue jays, various beasts and reptiles could be representations. They could inhabit people and cause serious illness.

A derivative usage of the skookum-as-monster context was the application of the name to a souvenir Skookum doll, sometimes simply called 'a skookum.' Mary McAboy first started making Skookum dolls in 1913 and received a patent for them in 1914. They were popular from the early 1920s until the 1960s. These factory-made dolls resembled Native American people and were sold to tourists at trading posts in the western United States. Early dolls had heads made of dried apples, bodies of wood stuffed with leaves, straw, twigs, or grass in a muslin sack; later versions were composition dolls with mohair wigs, and still later dolls were made of plastic with plastic brown shoes. They have 'Indian style' blankets as part of their attire, and some have jewelry or feathered headdresses. Sizes ranged from babies inside cradle boards to large human-size store display dolls; the most common sizes are about seven to twelve inches tall. Skookum dolls do not have arms, are wrapped with blankets, and never have gray hair. They should have the word 'Skookum' stamped on their shoes or on a tag.

Reader's Guide

The significance of Skookum lies in its dual legacy as both a linguistic marker and a cultural artifact. As a Chinook Jargon word, it has been in widespread historical use across British Columbia, the Yukon, and the Pacific Northwest, carrying meanings from 'strong' and 'brave' to 'monstrous.' Its classification as a Type 4 Canadianism underscores its cultural importance. The term also names a legendary mountain giant or monster akin to Sasquatch or Bigfoot, described as a bad spirit or devil that could inhabit people and cause illness. This monster context gave rise to the Skookum doll, a souvenir item patented by Mary McAboy in 1914 and popular from the early 1920s until the 1960s. These dolls, which resembled Native American people, were sold at trading posts and became widely imitated. Additionally, Skookum appears in dozens of placenames across the region, in personal nicknames such as Skookum Jim (a co-discoverer of the Klondike goldfields), and in the name of a famous 1909 Baldwin logging locomotive. The term's broad application—from language to folklore to commerce—illustrates its enduring resonance in the Pacific Northwest.

Did You Know?

• Skookum is a Chinook Jargon word that can mean strong, greatest, powerful, ultimate, or brave.
• Skookum dolls were first made by Mary McAboy in 1913 and patented in 1914, popular from the early 1920s until the 1960s.
• Skookum Jim was one of the co-discoverers of the Klondike goldfields in the Yukon.