KEEWAZI INDIANS
Classification: Human (Native American)
Location/Base of Operations: Keewazi Indian Reservation,
Known Members: Black Deer, Chavis, Roberta Elk Step, Miriam, Nicky, Rain Falling West, Rebecca Rainbow, Marjorie Running Bear, Russell Running Bear, Silent Fox, Stalking Fox, Roberta Wingfoot, William Wingfoot, Wyatt Wingfoot
Affiliations: Dr. Strange, the Fantastic Four (Human Torch, Medusa, Mr. Fantastic, She-Hulk, Thing), Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze), Louise Mason, Bridget O'Neil, Son of Satan (Daimon Hellstrom)
(The Keewazi also pay homage to a number of gods such as Coyote, the Crow and Tomazooma)
Enemies: Anung-Ite,
First Appearance: (Wyatt Wingfoot) Fantastic Four I#50 (May, 1966); (other Keewazi) Fantastic Four I#80 (November, 1968)
Powers/Abilities: None, potential to practicing magic equal to human beings.
Traits: The Keewazi Indians are a Native American tribe with social and religious traits unique to their own tribe.
History: (Strange Tales III#1 (fb)) - A long time ago, a Keewazi mother began the legends of the Sage-Wolf, a creature which was said to steal children away from their families. Although no such creature existed, the story was passed on for generations.
(She-Hulk: Ceremony#1 (fb)) - Twenty years ago, the Keewazi met a young opportunistic businessman named Carlton Beatrice, eager to purchase their land for its mineral rights, but Chief William Wingfoot turned him down. While visiting the reservation, Beatrice noticed Wingfoot’s wife Roberta and her sister Miriam, in a mystical ceremony and learned what he could from their rituals, but Miriam realized that Carlton lacked a soul. After robbing Miriam of her soul and killing her, Carlton departed the reservation to make his fortune on his stolen mystical knowledge. (Strange Tales III#1 (fb)) - Silent Fox pursued and finally came into conflict with the creature KhLOG on the reservation, where it had assumed the form of the extra-terrestrial Orrgo. With the aid of William Wingfoot, who brought Silent Fox his amulet, Silent Fox was able to drive KhLOG off.
(Fantastic Four I#80 (fb) - BTS) - The Red Star Oil Company attempted to purchase the Keewazi's land because of the rich deposits of oil, but Silent Fox, now chief of the tribe, refused to sell.
(Fantastic Four I#80) - The Red Star Oil Company built a robot of the Keewazi's deity Tomazooma to assault the oil refineries in an attempt to drive them out, but Silent Fox saw through their scheme. Wyatt Wingfoot and his friends Mr. Fantastic, the Human Torch and the Thing came to assist the Keewazi against Tomazooma, and after Silent Fox exposed the Red Star Oil Company to Washington D.C., he helped lead the Keewazi into battle against the false Tomazooma, who was destroyed by Wyatt and Mr. Fantastic. The true Tomazooma was seemingly glimpsed in some nearby mist, watching over the Keewazi the entire time.
(Fantastic Four I#138-139) - The Keewazi were menaced by the Fantastic Four's enemy Miracle Man, who had gained magical powers from their neighbours, the Cheemuzwa ("Silent Ones"). Wyatt brought the Thing, Medusa and the Human Torch to the reservation to help, and the Miracle Man was finally taken away to be imprisoned by the Cheemuzwa.
(Marvel Two-In-One#8) - The Miracle Man returned to plague the Keewazi again, transforming the soul of one of the Cheemuzwa into an infant, and the Keewazi reservation into a recreation of Bethlehem circa the birth of Jesus Christ, intending to create a new messiah out of the reborn Cheemuzwa. The Keewazi were all taken over by the Miracle Man's spell, and made to enact roles paralleling those in Christ's birth. The strange phenomena was investigated by both Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze) and the Thing, and they were able to defeat him. The reservation returned to normal, but the "messiah" child remained. Wyatt adopted the child as a ward of the tribe. (Marvel Team-Up I#32) - Not long afterwards, Wyatt became possessed by the demon Dryminextes, and the Human Torch came to the reservation to help him, bringing Daimon Hellstrom to assist Wyatt. Dryminextes controlled some of other Keewazi to attack the Torch and Hellstrom, but Daimon was ultimately able to drive Dryminextes from Wyatt's soul. (Fantastic Four I#192) - Wyatt helped organize a cross-country race in Oklahoma, bringing in Johnny Storm as one racer, and providing Rebecca Rainbow of the Keewazi as another contestant. Rebecca was interested in Johnny, but the Torch was distracted when the Texas Twister interrupted their race.
(Fantastic Four I#193) - Johnny stayed with Wyatt and Rebecca for a while before moving on, and taught some car repair to Rebecca.
(Marvel Two-In-One Annual#6 (fb)) - When the Navaho tribe who bordered the Keewazi were invaded by mining contractors, one of them went to the Keewazi reservation to tell Wyatt that the brothers Jason and Ward Strongbow had gone missing, and had apparently obtained superhuman powers which mirrored an old Navaho legend.
(Fantastic Four I#269 (fb) - BTS) - When Silent Fox passed away, the mantle of chief was set to fall to Wyatt Wingfoot.
(Fantastic Four I#269-270) - Wyatt and some other Keewazi assisted Mr. Fantastic and the She-Hulk when the extra-terrestrial invader Terminus landed at the reservation, and Mr. Fantastic ultimately drove Terminus beneath the Earth. Wyatt decided to put off accepting the mantle of chieften until he had been out among the world a while longer, and departed the reservation with Mr. Fantastic and the She-Hulk.
(She-Hulk: Ceremony#1 (fb) - BTS) - Wyatt finally returned to the reservation, and assumed the role of chieften for his people.
(She-Hulk: Ceremony#1) - Rain Falling West encountered her mother, Roberta Elk Step being transported against her will to meet Carlton asking for a mystical basket to complete his power, but Roberta informed him that it was no longer hers to give. She had sent it to Wyatt’s girlfriend, Jennifer Walters, the She-Hulk, to protect from Carlton. (She-Hulk: Ceremony#2) - Carlton mentally enslaved the Keewazi Reservation into forcing the She-Hulk to relinquish the basket. She restored the wills of the Keewazi by pouring their souls in the forms of wafers into the basket, but while still holding the soul of Wyatt Wingfoot captive, Carlton forced the She-Hulk to surrender the basket. With it in his power, he had the treaty to the Keewazi reservation rescinded and the Keewazi were forced to relocate as the land was stripped for its minerals. After the She Hulk was reportedly killed fighting the developers, Wyatt decided to finally accept his position as chief of the tribe to guide them. Carlton meanwhile used the basket to force his will over the planet, as Wyatt, Rain and the She Hulk arrived to confront him. Rain was not permitted to help them, but by uniting their spirits, Wyatt and Jennifer defeated Carlton and retook the basket. (Ka-Zar: Guns of the Savage Land) - Ka-Zar was visiting the Keewazi territory when they noted a remarkable discovery to him. They found a man whose body had no signs of pesticides, preservatives, additives, or other modern elements of food. (Sensational She-Hulk#36) - She-Hulk and Louise Mason stopped at the Keewazi reservation to have their mechanics fix Jennifer's flying car as they flew to California for Christmas with Morris Walters. She-Hulk and Louise stayed overnight at the reservation, and She-Hulk and Wyatt engaged in activities that had "no place in a code-approved book."
(Strange Tales III#1 (fb)) - KhLOG manifested itself on the reservation again, this time taking the form of the Sage-Wolf and stealing children from the Keewazi. Wyatt called in the Human Torch and Thing for help, and, joined by Dr. Strange, they confronted KhLOG in its true form, and Wyatt was able to make KhLOG vanish into nothingness by making it assume the role of a serpent which devoured its own tail.
(Fantastic Four I#394) - The Keewazi permitted an archaelogical dig on their land from Empire State University, led by Professor Simon Janson. The Human Torch accompanied the students, as he was pursuing a relationship with Bridget O'Neil, and the She-Hulk was also present to visit Wyatt. A local Keewazi named Stalking Fox warned Professor Janson against unearthing their artifacts, but Janson ignored him, and found a totem which, after being exposed to his blood, transformed him into Raptor the Renegade. Raptor was defeated by the Torch.
(Fantastic Four I#395) - The students finished up their work at the reservation.
Comments: Created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott. The Keewazi are normally said to be located in Oklahoma, but some stories place them in Arizona.
The Keewazi were referred to as the Konohoti in Marvel Two-In-One#8
Will U : “Regarding the coyote and crow gods of the Keewazi and their relationship to actual known mythological deities has a bit of a conundrum. The Keewazi are a fictional tribe and their only known god, Tomazooma, is fictional as well. I didn't find any Native American tribes actually indigenous to “Here's where it gets interesting: The crow-spirit is not a native totem to the Athapascan tribes. It is to the Iroquois (which includes the Mohawk, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondoga and Seneca Indians) and the Na Dene/Tsimshian tribes native to the Pacific coast. Assuming the Keewazi are a relocated Iroquois (since no Na Dene tribes would be relocated as far as Oklahoma) then their crow-spirit would actually be Crow and Coyote would have a name phonetically similar to Taswiscara.” Wyatt has been said to be descended from the Comanche. The Comanche are from the Shoshone linguistic branch of the Great Plains. Their traits are known for being nomadic, hunting buffalo, being skilled horseman, war-like and extending as far south as Mexico. Keewazi seems phoneticly similar to Comanche too.
The word "Apache"
means "enemy" in Hopi. There are some Navajo clans of partial Puebloan
descent. And, there's even a Pueblo tribe whose name--the Keresan--is
remotely similar to "Keewazi!" According to Wikipedia, "Comanche" is supposed to be a Spanish mispronounciation of
"Kohmats." The Ute word for "enemies" (similar to the Pueblan root of "Apache"). Profile by: Prime Eternal and Will U Clarifications: The Keewazi Indians are not to be confused with: Images: Fantastic Four I#138-139 (September-October, 1973) - Gerry Conway (writer), John Buscema & Joe Sinnott (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Roy Thomas (editor) Last updated: 09/05/05 Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know. Non-Marvel Copyright info
--Carycomic
Fantastic Four I#80, page 18, panel 2
Marvel Two-In-One#8 (March, 1975) - Steve Gerber (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Mike Esposito (inks), Len Wein (editor)
Marvel Team-Up I#32 (April, 1975) - Gerry Conway (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks), Len Wein (editor)
Fantastic Four I#192 (March, 1978) - Len Wein & Roger Stern (writers), George Perez (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Fantastic Four I#193 (April, 1978) - Len Wein, Marv Wolfman & Bill Mantlo (writers), Keith Pollard (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Marvel Two-In-One Annual#6 (1981) - Doug Moench (writer), Ron Wilson (pencils), Gene Day (inks), David Kraft (editor)
Fantastic Four I#269-270 (August-September, 1984) - John Byrne (writer/artist), Bob Budiansky (editor)
She-Hulk: Ceremony#1-2 (1989) - Dwayne McDuffie & Robin D. Chaplik (writers), June Brigman (pencils), Stan Drake (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Ka-Zar: Guns of the Savage Land (1989) - Chuck Dixon (writer), Gary Kwapisz & Thimothy Truman (pencils), Ricardo Villagran (inks)
Sensational She-Hulk#36 (February, 1992) - John Byrne (writer/pencils), Keith Williams (inks), Renee Witterstaetter (editor)
Strange Tales III#1 (November, 1994) - Kurt Busiek (writer), Ricardo Villagran (artist), Mark McLaurin (editor)
Fantastic Four I#394 (November, 1994) - Tom DeFalco & Mike Lackey (writers), Paul Ryan (pencils), Dan Bulanadi (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Fantastic Four I#395 (December, 1994) - Tom DeFalco & Paul Ryan (writers), Paul Ryan (pencils), Dan Bulanadi (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
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