Basso describes stories about “bushmen” in northern Dene communities, and argues that they do not simply reflect a fear of the supernatural. Rather, she contends, they may act as explanations for concerns about social relationships, shifting technology, seasonal changes, and the inexplicable.

Abstract:

A variety of “bushman” images are found throughout the Northern Athapaskan area. They have been typically characterized as supernatural beliefs arising in response to fears of dangers in the natural and social environments and to ignorance of true causes of events. I argue in this paper that an understanding of the images must also take into account the cultural and social systems that govern their creation and use in personal narratives. In particular, the images within one region, the central Mackenzie River valley, must be understood in terms of the focal concerns of seasonality, supernatural power, social relationships, and technology, as well as the explanatory uses to which the narratives are put.

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Basso, Ellen. “The enemy of every tribe: “Bushman” images in Northern Athapaskan narratives.” American Ethnologist 5, no. 4 (1978): 690-709.