The man the Haida have taken to calling the Wanderer is based upon a real person. As far as we can tell, his full name has been lost to time for no written records existed in this era. Yet, oral history tells us of a very unlucky man who was mauled by a bear, possibly pecked at by a raven, and left to die on a rugged mountain slope far from his village. Yet he lived and was saved by none other than the Forest Maiden* herself, or so the legends claim.
In truth, any researcher would have difficulties telling the myth from the fact when trying to delve into the history of the Wanderer for little is clear about his life. We do know however, that he was most likely not a chieftain as many elders are quick too claim. For a chieftain would not likely have taken such a perilous journey with so few companions nor done such tasks beneath his station.
What is clear is that this man is credited with not only introducing Mountain Goats into the home islands of Haida Gwaii, but taming them to a degree as well. In effect, he singlehandedly introduced and started the process towards animal husbandry on the Pacific Northwest Coast**. Of that there is no doubt.
What there is doubt of is whether or not he was actually a member of the Haida peoples at all...