Yakwawiak

Yakwawiak were described as monstrous, gigantic beasts in Lenape, Mohican and Shawnee mythology.

Myths & Legends
According to Nativeamericanembassy.net, "Yakwawi, the Mastodon, was one such beast, placed upon the Earth to be useful to man; but the great monstrous beast was fierce, powerful and invincible. Its hide was so strong and so thick that the sharpest spears and arrows could hardly penetrate it...The Creator told the Lenapé that they were also to take part in this fight, and if necessary they should kill the Yakwawi'àk. Our Old Ones have told us that the legendary Great Bear also came to help, and that he was seriously wounded in this battle, which is said to have taken place in

the Ohio River Valley, west of the Alleghenny mountains. During the battle, Kishelamàkânk, the Creator, came and sat upon a flat rock on top of the Alleghenny mountains to watch. Great numbers of the giant Yakwawi'àk came and still greater numbers of the other animals. The battle was fierce, and the slaughter was terrible! The mastodons were gaining victory and the Ohio River Valley ran thick with the blood of the fighting animals. But slowly the battlefield turned into a great quagmire, and many of the Yakwawi'àk, because of their great weight, sank into the mire and were drowned."

Appearance
The Yakwawi is described as a mammoth or mastodon by some modern Lenape storytellers, though stories recorded in the past more often referred to it as a type of bear.