Bigfoot: more than a definition?

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Bigfoot: more than a definition?
June 19, 2013 | Christine Bruun | Sasquatch Watch©

It is easy to explain to you what Bigfoot is. It is what we don't know that is troubling. According to Merriam-Webster online dictionary definition, the name Bigfoot is derived "from the size of the footprints ascribed to it." It is known by many other names such as Sasquatch, Swamp Ape, as well as a variety of names used by the Indian tribes of the North American continent.

The Encyclopedia Britannica describes it as "a large, hairy human-like creature believed by some persons to exist in the northwestern United States and western Canada. It seems to represent the North American counterpart of the Abominable Snowman, or Yeti."

The Britannica goes on to say that a "British explorer David Thompson is sometimes credited with the first discovery (I 1811) of a set of Sasquatch footprints, and hundreds of alleged prints have been adduced since then." It continues by mentioning the Patterson photographs taken at Bluff Creek, California in 19667, referring to it as a legend.

The Britannica explains that "Sasquatch is described as a primate ranging from six to fifteen feet tall, standing erect on two feet, often giving off a foul smell, and either moving silently or emitting a high-pitched cry." It also states that "footprints have measured up to twenty-four inches in length and eight inches in width." It further explains that "a Soviet scientist, Boris Porshnev, suggested that Sasquatch and his Siberian counterpart, the Almas, could be a remnant of Neanderthal man, but most scientists do not recognize the creature's existence." Fortunately, this concept is changing!

While you might think this is Bigfoot in a nutshell, there is much more to the creature than meets the eye. Indian Nations across the North American continent have legends and folklore featuring Bigfoot that go back to the beginning of recorded history. Since much of the history has been handed down from father to son, mother to daughter, and retold by the storytellers of the Indian People, there is a lot of confusion.

According to Living Myths, authored by Kyle Thompson, "Native American myths could equally be called folktales: They seem to be about ordinary people, not gods. However, the Native American attitude is that everything is animated by divinity. Hence ordinary people, animals and places are divine...Universal principles are held to be more important than individual traits."

According to the livingmyths.com website, "Claude Levi-Strauss, a structuralist anthropologist, saw myths as stemming from a human need to make sense of the world and to resolve cultural dilemmas."

The Ojibwa call him Ragaru and many feel that he appears to warn of danger-- a disruption in the harmony. The increasingly frequent sightings seem to bring dire warnings for the Indian People. Perhaps this powerful entity, who many believe can change form, is trying to get our attention. Is it bringing the message that we have been charged with caring for and protecting the earth and we are not honoring this sacred trust?

Many of the Indian Peoples believe that Bigfoot is more than flesh and blood. He seems to represent a spiritual concept. His role I the Indian People's society is complicated, for his hold on them is more spiritual than physical. They allude to the elusive nature of the creature by explaining that those who seek him out, no matter what their motives, will not be able to see him.

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