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The Native Bigfoot

TREY the Explainer・60 minutes read

Bigfoot is a real creature believed to be hiding in North American forests, with Native American stories often cited as evidence of its existence. However, many Bigfoot-like creatures in these stories do not align with the modern concept of Bigfoot, and misinterpretation and misrepresentation of Native American stories by Bigfoot believers are common issues.

Insights

Native American stories and folklore often mention a creature similar to Bigfoot, with consistent descriptions across different tribes, leading to the belief that these narratives validate Bigfoot's existence according to some enthusiasts and experts.
The narratives about Bigfoot-like creatures from Native American stories encompass a wide range of beings, including chimeras, spirits, shape-shifters, giants, dwarves, and wild Indians, blurring the line between the physical and spiritual worlds.
Bigfoot believers often misinterpret and misrepresent Native American stories to fit their idea of Bigfoot, displaying confirmation bias and a condescending attitude towards indigenous communities, overshadowing the true meanings and beliefs of these narratives.

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Recent questions

What is Bigfoot?
A cryptid believed to exist in North American forests.
Are there Native American stories about Bigfoot?
Yes, various tribes have tales resembling Bigfoot.
How do Bigfoot enthusiasts interpret Native American stories?
They see them as evidence supporting Bigfoot's existence.
What is the significance of the Makak Dat in Native American folklore?
It is considered a sacred and spiritual being.
How do Bigfoot enthusiasts interact with Native American stories?
They often cherry-pick details to fit their beliefs.

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Summary

00:00

"Native American Stories Validate Bigfoot's Existence"

Bigfoot is a highly requested cryptid, with 10 to 13% of Americans believing in its existence.
Bigfoot is considered a real living creature, with a small population believed to be hiding in North American forests.
The Bigfoot phenomenon has led to the creation of entire museums and libraries dedicated to the creature.
Immersed in Bigfoot-believing culture, the narrator delves into understanding why people are convinced of Bigfoot's existence.
Native American stories and folklore often mention a creature similar to Bigfoot, known by various names across different tribes.
Native American stories about Bigfoot-like creatures have been passed down orally for generations, with some now recorded in written form.
Various Bigfoot enthusiasts believe that Native American stories provide evidence of Bigfoot's existence due to consistent descriptions across tribes.
Prominent cryptozoologists and Bigfoot experts support the idea that Native American stories validate the existence of Bigfoot.
A comprehensive book by Kathy Moskowitz Strain compiles 142 different names from 57 tribes for Bigfoot-like creatures, providing detailed stories and sources.
The narrator embarks on a project to examine and compare Native American stories about Bigfoot-like creatures from various sources, creating a comprehensive spreadsheet for analysis.

17:22

"2005 Stories Mix Myths, Legends, and Creatures"

Stories recorded in 2005, with others lacking recording dates, encompassed a mix of creation myths, legends of great heroes, cautionary tales, and parables.
The narratives blurred the line between the physical and spiritual worlds, featuring magic, gods, spirits, and anthropomorphized animals and plants.
Only 11% of the 154 creatures resembled Bigfoot, with 46% speaking human languages and 31% using tools beyond sticks.
9% wore clothes, 13% lived in artificial homes, and 20% used fire, behaviors not typically associated with Bigfoot.
25% of creatures lacked descriptions, making it challenging to determine their resemblance to Bigfoot.
Creatures were categorized into chimeras, spirits, shape-shifters, giants, dwarves, and wild Indians.
Chimeras included a snake with big feet and otter men, while shape-shifters were akin to mermaids or werewolves.
Giants, the most common category, were often described as giant humans or stone giants with unique vulnerabilities.
Dwarves were portrayed as small, human-like beings, while wild Indians were often individuals transformed into monsters due to spiritual possession.
The Gagot, a wild man depicted in Native American art, was misconstrued as a Bigfoot, highlighting misinterpretations in Bigfoot lore.

34:16

"Wild Masks and Creatures in History"

The mask was either purchased or donated to the museum by a family member in 1905.
The mask was cataloged as a "gaggot," representing someone who barely escaped drowning and lost their mind, akin to a wild, demon-possessed human.
Another artist, Re Davison, describes a gaged as a wild, otherworldly creature transformed by a traumatic maritime experience.
Gagets, despite being tamed, are still included in Bigfoot lists.
Iron Noose, a character from a story, is described as a man with an iron nose mask that can spear children.
The story includes various wild Indians, such as the Tanu or devil cannibal, who could conjure demons and dragons.
Some Indians, like Subet of the Witu, were considered wild for less supernatural reasons, merely seen as barbarians by more civilized Native Americans.
The story mentions the CA tribe, described as a tribe despised and exterminated by the PES in the past.
The origin of the word "Sasquatch" is attributed to Canadian school teacher John W. Burns, who lived on the Shalis Nation reservation.
Burns provided eyewitness accounts of Sasquatch encounters, describing them as wild humans living in isolation, not the modern concept of Bigfoot.

50:31

Native American Scary Tales and Bigfoot Lore

Various cultures have their own versions of scary characters like the Boogeyman, such as the Basket Woman or Man, with similar stories of kidnapping disobedient children.
These spooky characters are used by adults to scare children into good behavior, with stories being a common method to keep children safe.
A significant portion of Native American Bigfoot stories are similar to these scary tales, with many not aligning with the modern concept of Bigfoot.
A diverse collection of creatures, spirits, and monsters are often lumped together as Bigfoot-like, despite vast differences in descriptions and origins.
Only 11% of the original list of Bigfoot-like creatures actually resemble Bigfoot, with many stories being more akin to creation myths with giants.
The story of the Hairy Man or Makak Dat is often cited by Bigfoot believers as a Native American origin of Bigfoot, but the actual descriptions are not compelling.
The Makak Dat is considered a sacred and spiritual being by the Yokuts tribe, with its true name being sacred and only spoken during special ceremonies.
The interpretation of the Painted Rock and Makak Dat as a flesh-and-blood creature by the Bigfoot community is incorrect and disrespectful to the Yokuts beliefs.
The Yokuts tribe views the Painted Rock and Makak Dat as sacred imagery, and their use in publications and museums without permission is seen as exploitative.
The indigenous side of these stories is often overshadowed by Bigfoot believers, with instances of misinterpretation and misrepresentation of Native American stories.

01:06:08

Misinterpretation of Native American Stories by Bigfoot Believers

The Bushmen of the hair should not be interpreted as Bigfoots, as detailed in the original source cited by Cathy, which provides a more complete image.
Bigfoot Believers often attempt to correct or add interpretations to Native American stories, such as the Cherokee tale of a snake with big feet representing a Bigfoot marrying a human female.
A photo of a woven basket in Cathy Strain's book on Yoko's Harryman and Giants Cannibals and Monsters is described as depicting a Hayman, but the original source and the University of Southern California's description do not mention this.
The Yoko tribe representative disagreed with Cathy Strain's interpretation of the basket pattern, identifying it as a Spring Dance Design depicting Yoko's people at a ceremony, not Hayman figures.
Bigfoot Believers tend to cherry-pick, ignore, correct, or elaborate on details of Native American stories to fit their idea of Bigfoot, displaying confirmation bias and a condescending attitude towards indigenous communities.

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