What did the early American pioneers see when traveling the uninhabited wilderness of the early 1800’s? Could they have be seeing a black bear standing momentarily on its hind legs or was it actually what we now call Bigfoot today (“The Canadian Encyclopedia”). The origin of Bigfoot dates even further back to Native American myths portraying a large aggressive ape like animal walking on its hind legs eating children and animals (“New World Encyclopedia”). Since then there have been thousands of reports of supposed Bigfoot sightings including footprints, photos, videos and the actual carcass of a deceased Bigfoot. For over 80 years scientist have been discrediting the thought of the existence of Bigfoot, but throughout time scientist have begun to adapt to the fact that there might be a possible large unidentified animal walking throughout our wilderness today. The fact that there might be a Bigfoot like animal walking through our forests today sparks imagination but has there been enough information that we can conclude that there is an animal that has not been identified.
The name Sasquatch is derived from native names of the word "Sésquac", meaning "wild man" for a creature found in the coastal area of the Pacific Northwest (Lindemans). There are over sixty different Native American terms for the Sasquatch. The Cherokee call it Kecleh-Kudleh meaning “Hairy Savage” (Franzoni, Glickman). Evidence for the existence of the Sasquatch is based on references in Indian legend and myth, in passages from journals kept by early travelers and in modern sightings (Colombo). Early travelers of North America have come up with various different terms like "skookums" and the "mountain devils" (“What is Bigfoot”). Bigfoot, the North American t...
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...ity of Bigfoot, the majority of scientist’s still believe that Bigfoot is hoax and wonder why Bigfoot hasn't been captured, dead or alive (Lovgreen). Even though Bigfoot hasn’t been captured dead or alive, Bigfoot advocates note that it is even rare to find a bear carcass in the wild.
Though throughout thousands of Bigfoot sightings throughout the world there still has not been any credible evidence of its existence. "It is the same kind of eyewitness reports we see for the Loch Ness Sea Monster, UFOs, ghosts, you name it," he said. "The monster thing is a universal product of the human mind. We hear such stories from around the world." (Dennett). Although there is no concrete evidence of its existence there is enough documentation of Bigfoot for you to wonder, is there something out there? Though throughout the years to come, the hunt for Bigfoot will still be on.
The site played a significant role for the study of the strategic hunting method practiced by Native American. The native people hunted herds of bison by stampeding them over a 10- 18 metre high cliff. This hunting method required a superior knowledge of regional topography and bison behaviour. The carcasses of the bison killed were carved up by the native people and butchered in the butchering camp set up on the flats.
While many theories exist trying to disprove the existence of this elusive beast, many also exist proving its existence. The first reported sighting made by St. Columba, an Irish missionary, in the a.d. 500s. He was from Scotland and came to spread Christianity. He saw the beast attacking a man and saved him by making a cross and ordering the beast to be gone. The Loch Ness Monster is not just a beast from the Medieval mythology. Many people have reported sightings of a creature matching the description “of an ‘extinct’ dinosaur called the Plesiosaur”(“Myths and Legends of the World”). There have been many attempts to find this elusive creature ,but all have turned up unsuccessful neither proving nor disproving the existence of the Loch Ness Monster.
The Kennewick man was a monumental find to further our understanding of the history of the migration patterns of the people that culture sees today. The Kennewick man being a 9200 to 9600 year old skeleton made him one of the oldest nearly whole skeletons found in North or South America. The Kennewick man was found on July 28th 1996 by two college students whose names were Will Thomas and Dave Deacy while they were walking along the Columbia River near Kennewick Washington trying to get a better view into the local hydroplane races (Chatters, 23). These college students stumbled upon something that has caused a series of serious debates that have lasted for over ten years. After the students fell upon “the rock with teeth” (Powell 2005:6) they took it to the local police forces that were in the area.
“The strange thing about the paranormal is that no matter how often [a person proves] it, it remains unproven” (Chopra). Given personal experience and evidence by professionals that have dedicated their lives to find answers regarding the paranormal and the afterlife. There will always be skeptics so long as there are humans with their own thoughts and opinions. Despite what skeptics say,ghosts exist; there are several eyewitness accounts, religious traditions, and traditional cultural stories that support the paranormal.
Zigmond, M. L. (1986). Kawaiisu. In W. C. Sturtevant, Handbook of North American Indians (Vol. 11, pp. 398-411). Washington: Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data.
In the article written by Heather Pringle, “The First Americans,” she combines findings of various archaeologists across the globe that have aimed to debunk a popular theory of migration to the Americas. As stated in the article, it is commonly believed that the first to arrive in the New World traveled across the Bering Straight, a passageway far north connecting the northeastern tip of Asia and Alaska. 13,000 years ago, these hunters were said to have followed the mammals and other large prey over the ice-free passageway. Evidence of their stone tools being left behind has led them to be called the Clovis people. This article uncovers new evidence presented by archaeologists that people migrated to the Americas in a different way, and much earlier.
This provides powerful insight into the role Bigfoot like creatures played in Native American cultures. Some tribes were not afraid of the creatures, considering them kind and helpful, while peacefully coexisting with them. Other tribes found them to be more violent and dangerous creatures. The fact that these tribes called the animals Stick Indians or Brush Indians seems to suggest that the creatures were simply other tribes they did not get along with opposed to a village of mythical creatures. Some examples of Bigfoot like creatures in Native American tribes include the Chiye – Tanka, the Lofa, the Maxemista, and the popular Sasquatch. The Chiye – Tanka was the Bigfoot like creature of the Sioux Indians (“Native American,” n.d.). This animal
Much of the literature written by Native Americans from the Southeastern U.S. draws from traditional tribal myths. Many of these myths have been transcribed and translated into English by various ethnographers and folklorists, and, in the case of the Cherokee, myths have been collected and published in acclaimed books. Anthropologist James Mooney, an employee of the federal government at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, collected a large number of mythological stories from informants during his years of fieldwork among the Eastern Band of the Cherokee in western North Carolina; Mooney incorporated that material into the important compilation Myths of the Cherokee (1900). A century later, folklorist Barbara R. Duncan, a researcher employed by the Museum of the Cherokee...
Upper Missouri River area. Eastern Sioux, 19th century. Wooden board, buckskin, porcupine quill, length 31″ (78.8 cm). Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian Institution Libraries, Washington, D.C. Catalogue No. 7311
Some native words used by Cree Indians: Kiwetin meaning the north wind that brings misfortune (Gill, Sullivan 158). Another word is maskwa used for bear, the most intelligent and spiritually powerful land animal (Gill, Sullivan 182). A water lynx that holds control over lakes and rivers is called “Michi-Pichoux”; they are associated with unexplained deaths (Gill, Sullivan 189). Tipiskawipisim is used for the moon who is the sister of the sun. Once a flood destroys the first humans, Tipiskawipisim creates the first female (Gill, Sullivan 303).
The theory of there being an ape like beast that walks through our wilderness all started with a 16mm film in Bluff Creek, California by Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin in 1967. The video displayed a tall, hairy human like figure trolling along a timber clearing walking briskly away from Patterson and Gimlin. The film ignited a craze amongst scientist and viewers to go on a conquest to prove Bigfoots existence. The 1967 film was never proven to be a hoax or real evidence and still today is a toss up.
encountered it. The Native Americans were able to use every part of the animal killed from the hide to
Arthur Grant, a veterinary student in 1934, was heading home around 1 A.M. He saw something lurking in the bushes, and it immediately bounded onto the road. He swerved and stepped on the brakes, barely missing contact. The headlight was on the 20 foot long creature that had an eel-like head and large humps on its shoulders. What is this creature? Does it even exist? These are the questions many cryptozoologists ask on a daily basis. Cryptozoology is the search for and study of animals whose existence is disputed. While many disregard cryptids, the term for these mysterious animals, there are scientists committed to finding the truth. Though there are many fascinating creatures in this field, the three most news-worthy are the Loch Ness monster, Bigfoot and Dracula.
SourcesAtwood-Lawrence, Elizabeth. The Symbolic Role of Animals in the Plains Indian Sun Dance. http://www.envirolink.org/arrs/psyeta/sa/sa1.1/lawrence.html (Feb 3, 1997) Eliade, M. (1975). Myths, Dreams, and Mysteries. New York: Harper and RowKehoe, Alice B. (1992). North American Indians A Comprehensive Account. New Jersey: Prentice-HallSchwatka, Frederick. (1889-1890). The Sun-Dance of the Sioux. Century Magazine. Pp. 753-759.Welker, Glenn. The Sun Dance http://www.indians.org/welker/sundance.htm (Jan 7, 1996)
Bears play a major role in Navajo mythology, and consequently, in tribal religious beliefs and practices. Like man, bears are capable of both good and bad. On the positive side, bears in Navajo mythology often served as guardians and protectors of other supernaturals such as the Sun and Changing Woman (Pavlik, S. 1997). In historic times, however, bears are more commonly looked upon negatively and with causing harm to people. Bears are considered by Navajos to be beings who possess supernatural power--including the ability to