Naia Okami identifying herelf as a wolf opens up about her life
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An American woman who describes herself as a wolf has shared details of her unusual life.
Naia Okami, now 28 years old, became aware of her differences when she was 10 years old.
“I didn’t really have the language for it so I just kind of went around … and would tell people, ‘I’ve got the spirit of the wolf’,”
Nowadays, Naia has a clearer picture of who she is.
“So spiritually and psychologically, I identify as a wolf,” she said. “But I know I’m human. I walk on two legs, I’ve got a job, I’ve got a career. My partner is human.
“There’s a level of, there is some identification there as a wolf, and then there’s a level of, but I also know that I’m in a human body, I’m physically human and I’m functioning in society as a human.”
Despite identifying as a British Columbian wolf, Naia said on the I’ve Got News For You podcast that it doesn’t significantly affect her life.
“Some people obviously raise their eyebrows but it’s not really that different,” she said. “If you really think about it, what does it change about your interaction with me?
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“The fact that I identify as a wolf doesn’t change my professional performance, it doesn’t change how I interact with co-workers, etc. It’s an interpersonal spiritual thing and the people who are overreacting to it, it’s like, OK, it doesn’t affect you any.”
Naia has received a lot of backlash online since she has been quite outspoken about her wolf identity on social media and in interviews.
But she says it’s all water off a wolf’s back.
“If you’re gonna dislike me because of just an identity or a trait that’s not hurting you or anybody else, I don’t really need you in my life anyway,” she said.
Although Naia told the I’ve Got News For You podcast that she doesn’t have any mental health difficulties, she is well aware that some people will presume that she does.
“Mental health issues are judged by how they’re affecting your performance in society,” she said. “Are they affecting your daily living skills? Are they affecting your ability to have a career? Are they affecting interpersonal relationships?
“Being a therian (someone who identifies as a species of non-human animal) does none of those things.
“It’s not really affected me negatively,” she said.
In fact, Naia claims that becoming a wolf has benefited her employment as an investigator who hunts down criminals who hurt children and animals.
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“When I’m going after predators … I get to feel like a wolf hunting my prey and my prey happens to be humans who are doing bad things,” she said.
