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PostPosted: January 2nd, 2010, 11:22 am 
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Mac

I thought that might agree :clap:

:rofl:

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PostPosted: January 2nd, 2010, 11:29 am 
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Mac

I thought that you might agree ,since you are a seasoned Temagami paddler. :clap:

:rofl:

How about Wendigo?
I know some guys that trip up there and swear that they have seen it....him.....her?

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PostPosted: January 2nd, 2010, 11:53 am 
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How about Wendigo?
I know some guys that trip up there and swear that they have seen it....him.....her?


Yeah, ........I am sure they have. After eating 'shrooms' anything might be possible....


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PostPosted: January 2nd, 2010, 1:56 pm 
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Even McGyver proved bigfoot was a fake.
http://video.aol.co.uk/video-detail/mcgyver-vs-bigfoot/36028857541948257

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PostPosted: January 2nd, 2010, 2:04 pm 
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I'd really like to believe that these things exist ...... I truly would.

BUT .........

You'd think by now someone would have found hair or fur they can't explain, some poo, maybe some old bones ...... anything !

We're still finding human ancestors that are 10's of thousands of years old frozen at the bottoms of glaciers, dinasours we didn't know existed, new species of mammals, birds, insects .... almost daily ......

BUT .........

No one has EVER found any plausible evidence that creatures like Bigfoot, Nessie etc exist. Lotsa hoaxes, tricks, bad photos, scary stories, bogus scientific ventures ..

Like I said ........ I want to believe,

BUT ?????????

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PostPosted: January 2nd, 2010, 2:08 pm 
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Kanoe

Me too.

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PostPosted: January 2nd, 2010, 4:36 pm 
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Kanoe wrote:
I'd really like to believe that these things exist ...... I truly would.

BUT .........

You'd think by now someone would have found hair or fur they can't explain, some poo, maybe some old bones ...... anything !

We're still finding human ancestors that are 10's of thousands of years old frozen at the bottoms of glaciers, dinasours we didn't know existed, new species of mammals, birds, insects .... almost daily ......

BUT .........

No one has EVER found any plausible evidence that creatures like Bigfoot, Nessie etc exist. Lotsa hoaxes, tricks, bad photos, scary stories, bogus scientific ventures ..

Like I said ........ I want to believe,

BUT ?????????


Actually Kanoe, there are hair samples that have been found and tested and been determined to belong to an unknown primate. As well as feces and foot prints with dermal ridges in them. So the evidence is there but for most people a body or a first hand encounter is the only way they will believe.

The evidence is there if you look for it, but most people don't bother so they assume it doesn't.


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PostPosted: January 2nd, 2010, 4:54 pm 
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Brandon:
Do you have a link to this information.
Thanks
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PostPosted: January 2nd, 2010, 6:34 pm 
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Brandon wrote:
Quote:
Actually Kanoe, there are hair samples that have been found and tested and been determined to belong to an unknown primate. As well as feces and foot prints with dermal ridges in them.


Yea, could be, I've heard about such things too, but, once again, yu know ........

If there was any REALLY LEGITIMATE DATA here, I would expect at least a dozen or so of the world's top Anthropologists, Zooligists and Sasquatcholigists to be all over it. Somebody in some university somewhere, should be doing their PHD on this, some government sponsored agency should be pouring billions into R & D ......... it's not happenening.

That tells me that, the REAL scientists AREN'T believers.

Sure there's a fringe group of X-scientists out there who jump into this forum ......... everyone needs a hobby eh!

Once again, I'd like to believe ...........

BUT ???

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PostPosted: January 2nd, 2010, 10:33 pm 
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I see your point. And although there are a handful of actual scientists involved with the research, like Dr. Jeff Meldrum from the University of Idaho (i think) and a handful of others that I can't remember the names of at the moment, there certainly isn't as many involved as some people would like or expect.

But the majority of researches out there are self funded or funded by donations or just volunteer. But lets be honest, why would the Gov't really dump a boat load of cash into research BF? Aside from that I'm sure they are already aware of it as there has been many sightings buy military folks, politicians, lawmen, etc... But they would have to have a vested interest in the research for them to put any real effort into finding out if BF really exists or not.

I won't say I believe 100%, but from what I've read there is more evidence out there to support their existence than not. I also just find the topic really fascinating and the mystery behind the idea of something of this size being out there, that for the most part is largely undiscovered

As for links probably the best source of info for skeptics an believers alike would be http://www.bigfootforums.com/ . There are many people from all walks of life that have had one or many experiences as well as a ton of other info. If you are really interested it is the best place for to go.

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PostPosted: January 2nd, 2010, 11:25 pm 
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Not sure if I'm a believer or not as I usually have a real skepticism for this sort of stuff. But here is my story for whatever it's worth.

In the late 60s, I was cold tent camping in the Hope-Princeton mountains of B.C. Woke up about 7:30 one morning to fresh snow and to a heck of a stench - a real cross between b.o. from hell and something long dead. I took a look around and found a set of tracks about 30 yards from my tent. They were bipedal and definitely not bear and quite similar to a barefoot size 16? person. Bears don't walk on two feet - they get up on two hind feet to see what's happening but they don't naturally walk on two feet. Anyway, the interesting thing was that it walked on two feet up to the downed tree, put one foot on it to step over it and then continued down the trail. Note - only one foot on the downed tree - four legged animals put both feet/paws when climbing over things. There was also no sign of any kind of belly brushing, just the one foot. Unnerved me enough for me to break camp and head for home.

Like I said, FWIW.
Ted

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PostPosted: January 3rd, 2010, 8:22 am 
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Quote:
I also just find the topic really fascinating and the mystery behind the idea of something of this size being out there, that for the most part is largely undiscovered


I agree Brandon.

Wouldn't it be somethin .......

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PostPosted: January 3rd, 2010, 9:33 am 
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I came across this Sasquatch article written by a biologist who is interested in the topic. It is about 12 pages of easy reading.
Journal of Scientific Exploration, Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 53–64, 2004
You can view it online at:
http://www.scientificexploration.org/jo ... rnagel.pdf
The Sasquatch: An Unwelcome
and Premature Zoological Discovery?
JOHN A. BINDERNAGEL
Wildlife Biologist
920 Second Street, Courtenay, BC V9N 1C3, Canada
e-mail: johnb@island.net
Abstract—Over 3000 North American reports of a large hair-covered bipedal
animal resembling an upright gorilla have been recorded and reviewed. More
importantly, over 100 different tracks attributed to such an animal have been
cast and archived. At the same time, wildlife biologists and other zoologists
continue to ignore this evidence and to reject papers on the subject submitted
for presentation at professional conferences. This attitude of dismissal results
from the ridicule and discredit heaped on the subject in the popular media
coupled with the perceived unlikelihood of a large non-human primate occurring
in North America. The discovery of the sasquatch may be ‘premature’
in at least three ways: the animal resembles a bipedal ape, an anomaly in
a mammal group that is perceived to be exclusively quadrupedal; its tracks
resemble large versions of human tracks; and it occurs on the North American
continent where no other non-human primates are known to occur. The possibility
of such an animal existing anywhere—but especially in North America—
apparently appears so preposterous as to be an affront to scientists. Nevertheless,
the hypothesis that the sasquatch is an upright North American great ape remains
the best explanation of the available evidence.
Keywords: Sasquatch—discovery—zoological—premature
Introduction
In 1958 a northern California road construction crew reported the overnight
appearance of a number of large footprints resembling those of a giant human.
Subsequent newspaper coverage included a photograph of a highway foreman
holding a plaster cast of one of the 16-inch-long footprints. ‘Bigfoot’ was first
used in print as the nickname for the creature whose tracks, although shaped
like those of a human, were superhuman in size. For most North Americans,
this marked the beginning of an ongoing controversy regarding the possible
existence of a large humanlike primate on this continent.1
Historical Accounts: Sasquatch Reports or Merely Myths?
Although not widely known, accounts of a giant human-shaped creature, and
of the tracks associated with it, already existed in historical and anthropological
literature. The historical accounts are of interest because they provide early
Journal of Scientific Exploration, Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 53–64, 2004 0892-3310/04
53
examples of what are now regarded as sasquatch reports. Equally interesting are
the expressions of doubt which continue to be associated with such reports today.
For example, as early as 1790, a Hudson’s Bay Company trader commented
on the belief of the North Saskatchewan River Indians in a giant humanlike
creature known to them as the windigo. He remarked that ‘‘they frequently
persuade themselves that they see his track in the moss or snow . . .’’ (Umfreville,
1790).
Both the aboriginal belief in such creatures and the non-native disbelief are
recorded in another account, that of a Methodist missionary to the Cree and
Salteaux Indians of Lake Winnipeg in the province of Manitoba. In this account,
Young (1893), wrote that:
Among the many errors and superstitions into which they have fallen is the belief in the
existence of . . . gigantic creatures half satanic and half human, whom they represent as
being of great size. . . . We found the Saulteux Indians especially living in dread of these
imaginary monsters.
Expressions of Ambivalence and Dismissal Regarding
the Sasquatch as a Real Animal
Folklorist Carole Henderson interprets such ‘monsters’ as metaphorical in
nature. While apparently agreeing with these authors in thinking that they are
not real, Henderson (1976) nevertheless expresses some ambivalence:
The beasts represent the mystery, strength, and untamed nature of large parts of the
Canadian west, especially British Columbia. . . . As this area moves fully into the
twentieth century, becomes thoroughly ‘civilized’ and populated, the monsters may
vanish. Then again, they may persist because they may really be there. . . .
After referring to accounts of common wildlife species recorded by Indians,
she points out that:
Other animals, unknown to Europeans, have typically, though perhaps unjustifiably, been
classified as mythical supernatural beings. It cannot be proven that the Indians themselves
saw these creatures as mythical, but anthropologists and other scholars have generally
considered them such. . . .
Marjorie Halpin, former director of the Museum of Anthropology at the
University of British Columbia, is one example. Halpin notes that ‘‘. . . hallucinatory
experiences’’ are ‘‘experiences accepted as real by the experiencer but not
shared with others.’’ She concludes that ‘‘as long as Sasquatch is a personal rather
than a collectively-sanctioned experience it will remain hallucinatory as officially
defined by Western culture’’ (Halpin, 1980: 211).
Referring to the apelike appearance of the sasquatch she writes that: ‘‘since . . .
there is no category in Western culture for creatures who mediate the animalhuman
realms, scientists have no category for the Sasquatch to exist in’’ (Halpin,
1980: 226). This idea that sasquatches are creatures who ‘‘mediate the animalhuman
realms’’ is a commonly-held view among cultural anthropologists. For
example, Robert A. Brightman, professor of anthropology at the University of
54 J. A. Bindernagel
Wisconsin is quoted (Rath, 1985) as having studied reports of Bigfoot and as
believing that these stories can be explained from a sociological standpoint:
Images like Bigfoot, images between humans and animals, seem to be common to people
of all states of society. If it’s not universal, it’s close to universal. . . . [S]ociety may feel
a need to separate itself from animals, so that we know we’re different. Creatures that
merge the characteristics of man and animal let us define ourselves more clearly. The
closer the creature comes, the more specific we can make the rules for being human.
It is not surprising that cultural anthropologists espouse a view of the
sasquatch as supernatural. Such a view is consistent with their background and
experience with myths and legends in which some mythical creatures (such as
the Thunderbird) do indeed appear to be supernatural. John Green (1968)
explains that when the term ‘sasquatch’ was introduced to the public in the 1920s
in the writing of J. W. Burns, Burns quoted Indian stories which included supernatural
elements, thus stigmatizing the sasquatch as an Indian legend. Green
believes that this was unfortunate because ‘‘scientists in particular are inclined to
dismiss the subjects of Indian legends as purely imaginary’’ (Suttles, 1972).
While this might explain why scientists have uncritically accepted the supernatural
as an explanation for some of the sighting reports, it does not excuse
zoologists and other scientists from bringing their knowledge and experience to
bear on the well-documented track evidence.
Professor Ian McTaggart Cowan, former dean of science at University of
British Columbia, has also been described as the ‘‘father of wildlife management
in British Columbia.’’ Regarding the sasquatch he once told a journalist: ‘‘People
believe in these things because they like to believe in them, and it keeps on
going because people like it. And why not? It’s a charming story. My attitude is
just show me, that’s all’’ (Watts, 1994).2
Professor Cowan and other zoologists who dismiss the sasquatch as an
zoological anomaly, and therefore unworthy of study, would find some support
for their position in the comments of Thomas Kuhn, author of a classic work in
the philosophy of science. Kuhn, who understood the problems associated with
an apparent anomaly, wrote that: ‘‘. . . it is for the normal, not the extraordinary,
practice of science that professionals are trained. . . . The scientist who pauses
to examine every anomaly he notes will seldom get significant work done.’’
Nevertheless, it is surprising that only a few scientists have risen to the challenge
embodied in his further comment: ‘‘We have to ask what it is that makes an
anomaly seem worth concerted scrutiny’’ (Kuhn, 1996).
Nature of the Evidence for the Existence of the Sasquatch
There are five components of the substantial body of evidence that makes the
‘‘sasquatch anomaly’’ worthy of scrutiny:
(1) The database of eyewitness reports of huge, hair-covered, upright, humanshaped
large mammals, or its tracks—now numbering over 3000 reports
and distributed over a period of over 150 years.
Sasquatch: A Premature Discovery? 55
(2) The remarkable consistency of the physical descriptions of this creature,
including anatomical details (as shown in Figure 1).
(3) The sincerity, credibility, and reliability of eyewitnesses, some of whom
are law officers and experienced outdoor workers such as fisheries
officers, combined with the reluctance of these eyewitnesses to be
recognized or credited for their report.
(4) The similarity of these descriptions to an upright, bipedal version of
a well-known (possibly related) animal, the gorilla. Sasquatches are
consistently described as huge, hair-covered, human-shaped animals with
a short, thick neck. They differ from upright bears primarily in having
a flat face and shoulders which are typically prominent or squarish rather
than tapered or sloping.
(5) The expanding collection of over 100 different track casts catalogued and
archived at Idaho State University by anatomy professor Jeffrey Meldrum
and available for examination (Figure 2).
The Great Ape Hypothesis
Anthropologist Halpin is correct when she notes that ‘‘scientists have no
category for the sasquatch to exist in’’ but only if we restrict ourselves to
North American mammal field guides. When limited to current field guides,
a bear standing upright is indeed the closest image to the sasquatch, since the
opportunity to compare the appearance of an upright bear with that of
a sasquatch, as illustrated in Figure 2, is not generally available. As a result,
most wildlife biologists continue to insist on misidentified bears as the most
likely explanation for sasquatch reports despite its unbearlike appearance. The
continued absence of the sasquatch from current mammal field guides
constitutes an authoritative statement against the existence of this species in
North America.
Had zoologists acknowledged the poor match between bears and sasquatch
descriptions and been willing to consult a global mammal field guide or mammal
list, they likely would have been struck by the resemblance of eyewitness
descriptions and drawings of the sasquatch to those of an upright gorilla. This
similarity has been alluded to by many eyewitnesses who described the creature
they observed as an ‘ape-man’, ‘man-beast’, ‘giant monkey’, or simply an ‘ape’.
The connection was made as long ago as 1978 by journalist John Green both in
the text and title of a book entitled Sasquatch: The Apes among Us (Green,
1978). Anthropologist Grover Krantz developed the concept further in his book
entitled Big Footprints (Krantz, 1992).
Indeed the long arms, the body covering of dark hair, and the short thick neck
attributed to the sasquatch are all physical features characteristic of the great
apes of Africa and Asia: the gorilla, chimpanzee, bonobo, and orangutan. Of
these consistently reported physical features, the long arms are especially noteworthy.
One mammal field guide lists ‘‘arms longer than legs’’ as a field mark of
56 J. A. Bindernagel
the chimpanzee, and similarly, ‘‘exceptionally long forelimbs’’ as a field mark of
the gorilla (Clutton-Brock, 2002). Indeed, arms which are longer than legs are
considered a unique physical characteristic of great apes, whereas arms shorter
than the legs are considered a human character (Dixon, 1981). The long arms
Fig. 1. Eyewitness drawings of sasquatches. 1a. Oregon, 1971; 1b. British Columbia, 1965; 1c.
Ontario, 1993; 1d. Washington State, 1991; 1e. Ohio, 1980; and 1f. New Mexico, 2002.
Credits for eyewitness drawings: 1a. Mysterious Creatures, 1988, Alexandria, Virginia:
Time-Life Books, Vol. 114; 1b. unnamed prospector, courtesy of John Green; 1c. Desmond
Warren, courtesy of Tim Yearington; 1d. Darin Richardson, courtesy of Ray Crowe; 1e.
Charles Fulton, courtesy of Joedy Cook; 1f. Bigfoot Research Organization (BFRO),
courtesy of Reid Nelson.
Sasquatch: A Premature Discovery? 57
(approximately 115 percent of leg length) which are consistently attributed to
the sasquatch suggest an ape rather than human affinity.
In addition to these gross morphological similarities between the sasquatch
and an upright gorilla, a number of anatomical details attributed to the sasquatch
in eyewitness descriptions and drawings also occur in the great apes. One of
these is a pointedness to the head, which at least two observers have included in
eyewitness drawings (Figure 1d and f ).
In gorillas and orangutans this pointedness is the outward manifestation of
the sagittal crest, a ridge of bone located medially on the top of the skull in an
anterior–posterior direction. Zoologist George Schaller, who undertook the first
field studies of the mountain gorilla, described the sagittal crest of gorillas as
variable in size. He noted that in two silverback males, the ‘‘sagittal crests were
so large that they resembled hairy miters.’’ Schaller also noted that ‘‘low sagittal
crests’’ may occur in large females.’’ (Schaller, 1963).
Another anatomical feature observed and recorded by eyewitnesses is deep
sunk eyes.
In April 1973, a 9-foot-tall creature ‘‘walking on two legs’’ stepped out in front
of Alan Skrumeda’s car near Easterville in west-central Manitoba. ‘‘Looking at us
was this thing that had the appearance of man, although it was three times the size
of the average man. . . . It turned to face us, staring into the headlights. . . . It was
covered with hair and there was a flat-profiled face. . . . The most striking feature
was the creature’s eyes. They were really sunk in.’’ (McAnulty, 1974).
More recently (1993), Desmond Warren observed an 8-foot-tall creature in
Ontario’s Ottawa Valley which walked away on two legs. He described it as
Fig. 2. Field guide drawings of an 2a. upright black bear and 2b. sasquatch. (drawings by Wendy
Dyck, figures 3 and 4 in Bindernagel, 1998).
58 J. A. Bindernagel
being ‘‘at least three feet wide,’’ having ‘‘a chest like a body builder and not too
much of a neck. . . . It had deep sunk eyes’’ and ‘‘where we would have
eyebrows it had a ridge that stuck out a fair piece’’ (Yearington, 1998). The
eyewitness drawing made by Desmond Warren is shown in Figure 1c.
Reference to almost any book illustrating the great apes will confirm that deep
sunk eyes are an obvious feature of the face of great apes, especially gorillas.
Significantly, deep sunk eyes are also a physical feature emphasized in a number
of accounts of the hairy giants in aboriginal myths and legends. Anthropologist
Claude Levi-Strauss noted that ‘‘the myths of British Columbia’s Fraser River
aboriginal groups included a character called the sasquatch or Tsanaq who was
characterized as a black giantess with bushy eyebrows [and] eyes deeply sunk
the in the orbits’’ (Levi-Strauss, 1982).
In a collection of stories entitled Kwakiutl Legends, Kwakwaka’wakw Chief
James Wallas of northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, relates a number
of tales about a creature referred to as the ‘Giant of the Woods’ or ‘Woods
Giant’. In several of these, deeply sunk eyes predominate in the description of
the face of the giant. At the end of one story, the woods giant made an offer to
a father and his sons: ‘‘You may use us on your totem poles and face mask. . . .
You can make the mask just like our face.’’ The story concludes with the father
and his sons accepting the giant’s offer. ‘‘No one else had a mask like theirs. It
was a frightening mask with the eyes sunk deep in the head’’ (Wallas, 1981).
The Wallas story typifies the link between giant human-shaped creatures
in aboriginal myths and legends and in modern reports, and may relate to the
‘kernel of truth’ on which most myths and legends are based.
Fig. 3. Casts of sasquatch tracks. 3a. Vancouver Island, BC, 1988 (15 inches long, 6 inches
wide); 3b. Washington State, 1982 (15.5 inches long, 6 inches wide); 3c. Washington
State, cast of juvenile sasquatch track (7 inches long, 5 inches wide; note slightly
abducted big toe).
Sasquatch: A Premature Discovery? 59
The (Apparently) Humanlike Attributes of the Sasquatch:
Reasons for Prematurity and Unwelcomeness?
Although most anatomical features of the sasquatch are consistent with those
of the great apes, the bipedal gait of the sasquatch is often raised as inconsistent
with the knuckle-walking quadrupedal gait of the great apes. That the great apes
commonly walk bipedally in order to carry food items in their hands or arms is
apparently not widely known.
This problem was addressed by geneticist Gunther Stent in an article entitled:
Prematurity and Uniqueness in Scientific Discovery (Stent, 1972). Stent explained
that a discovery is premature if ‘‘its implications cannot be connected by
a series of simple logical steps to canonical, or generally-accepted, knowledge.’’
Based on this definition, the ‘discovery’ of the sasquatch suffers from
prematurity in at least three respects. First, it appears to be a bipedal ape in a
group whose members are thought to be exclusively quadrupedal. Second, it has
the appearance of a great ape on the North American continent where no other
apes are known to exist. (Marjorie Halpin’s argument that ‘‘there is no category
for the sasquatch’’ is another way of stating this.) A third problem is the shape of
the foot, as documented in numerous photographs and casts. It is shaped more
like a giant human foot than like that of any other mammal, thus suggesting a
human, rather than great ape, origin for the creature (Figure 3). It is unfortunate
that most North American biologists are unaware of the similarity between the
human foot and the foot of a large ape such as the mountain gorilla. The primary
difference is the divergent or abducted big toe of the gorilla foot compared with
the adducted big toe in the human foot and sasquatch foot in which it lies
alongside the other toes (Figure 3a and b). It is noteworthy that the sasquatch
foot sometimes exhibits a degree of divergence or abduction of the big toe,
rendering it less humanlike and more apelike in form (Figure 3c).
It is this apparent blend of human and great ape physical characteristics which
may have contributed to the unwelcomeness of the sasquatch as a subject for
unbiased consideration and study. The fear that the sasquatch may constitute a
‘missing link’ between humans and related ancestors has implications for human
evolution, not all of which are welcome. The possibility that such an animal may
still exist today—unacknowledged and virtually in our midst—may be taken as
a professional affront by scientists.
Paleoanthropologists Alan Walker and Pat Shipman addressed the problem of
‘unwelcomeness’ of scientific discoveries when writing about paleoanthropological
discoveries in Africa. They wrote that ‘‘. . . surprises about the identity or
attributes of our . . . ancestors may be deeply unsettling and unwelcome. Even
professionals, if they are not vigilant, are liable to fall into the trap of refusing to
evaluate the evidence objectively . . .’’ (Walker & Shipman, 1996).
Rejection of Opportunities for Scientists to Examine Sasquatch Evidence
Although the shape of sasquatch tracks raises unwelcome evolutionary
questions of origin and relatedness, it is nevertheless the casts of tracks which
60 J. A. Bindernagel
provide the best answer to Thomas Kuhn’s admonishment to evaluate what
makes an anomaly seem worth concerted scrutiny. It is the track casts which
constitute the much-needed tangible evidence. As noted above, over 100 of these
casts have been catalogued, archived, and made available for scrutiny by zoologists.
They should be of interest especially to wildlife biologists who routinely
depend on tracks as a basis for mammal surveys. Wildlife biologists, more than
any other professionals—excepting perhaps some experienced hunters and
trappers—have the expertise and experience to competently scrutinize and
evaluate the validity of track casts attributed to the sasquatch.
If the notable lack of interest in examining this evidence is puzzling, the
continued rejection of conference papers illustrating such evidence and intended
to stimulate discussion is even more problematic. In the absence of professional
evaluation of tracks, there has arisen an almost universal dismissal of purported
sasquatch tracks as the work of ‘hoaxers’. The uncritical treatment in the popular
media, often including an element of ridicule, has further estranged biologists
from addressing the track cast evidence. In the absence of professional attention,
what little investigation is being done is largely undertaken by dedicated but
untrained amateurs.
An inevitable result of the sasquatch being ignored by scientists and explained
instead by non-scientists is the raising of wildly conjectural explanations as
serious proposals. Such explanations occasionally include associations with
UFOs, visitors from another dimension, and ‘shape-shifters’. The tabloid and
mainstream media have exploited these more bizarre explanations to further
increase an atmosphere of levity and ridicule around the subject. As a result,
scientists have (understandably) distanced themselves even further. This may
explain the reasoning given by the chairperson of a national conference of an
international society of wildlife biologists for rejecting a paper on the sasquatch.
‘‘Until there is ‘hard’ evidence of their existence the issue [of the sasquatch] will
remain tabloid material and not part of the scientific community.’’3 A zoology
professor recently rejected a proposed seminar presentation reviewing existing
sasquatch evidence, reasoning that ‘‘if this creature exists, it would be the
zoological discovery of the century,’’ a possibility apparently too unthinkable to
be presented to his colleagues and students for serious consideration.
Results of Rejection by Scientists
As mentioned above, the relegation of sasquatch research by scientists to
well-meaning but untrained amateurs is fraught with problems. As pointed out by
Michael Cremo, ‘‘Evidence found by non-scientists tends to be not valued and
therefore not well-looked after and gets lost or thrown out. On the other hand,
evidence which conforms to contemporary thinking is carefully catalogued and
preserved’’ (Cremo, personal communication). Although the amateur investigators
are not at fault, since they are merely filling a void left vacant by
scientists, the result is inadequate documentation and treatment of evidence. It
Sasquatch: A Premature Discovery? 61
must be emphasized that this is not a criticism of such investigators but is an
inevitable outcome of the unwillingness of scientists to include the evidence for
consideration in a professional context or forum.
Conclusions
In closing, it may be instructive to briefly examine current attitudes toward
the sasquatch in the context of science according to the recent comments of Ian
Tattersall, curator of anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History.
Tattersall, writing under the headings nature of science and falsifiability, reminds
us that ‘‘. . . scientists generally start from . . . established notions that seem to be
becoming a little wobbly. These they test against new data . . . and observation
. . .’’ (Tattersall, 2002: 10, 11).
In the case of the sasquatch none of the established ‘‘notions’’ entail a real
animal. They include instead the supernatural, a metaphor, an invented being,
misidentified bears, and human hoaxers. These notions have become increasingly
‘‘wobbly’’ as sasquatch tracks are documented and archived, and as
detailed reports from reliable eyewitnesses are filed and reviewed. (More
extreme notions put forward such as: visitor from another planet, visitor from
a UFO, and ‘‘shape-shifter’’ are not considered to be ‘‘established,’’ in that they
are more recent proposals and are only taken seriously by a few people.)
Tattersall noted that ‘‘New ideas . . . are proposed, and once these new ideas
and observations are out there in the public arena, they can be tested’’ (Tattersall,
2002: 8–9). New ideas regarding the similarity of sasquatch anatomy, behavior,
and ecology, and the reports and track casts on which they are based, have been
proposed in books and media interviews for over 30 years. But rather than being
tested or critiqued by relevant scientists, they have so far been either ignored or
dismissed without scrutiny.
Tattersall may be presenting an idealized portrait of science when he states
that ‘‘What matters is that science as a whole is a self-correcting mechanism in
which both new and old notions are constantly under scrutiny . . . the edifice of
science consists simply of a body of observations and ideas that have (so far)
proven resistant to attack, and that are thus accepted as working hypotheses
about nature’’ (Tattersall, 2002: 9).
In the case of the sasquatch the ‘‘body of . . . ideas that are . . . accepted as working
hypotheses . . .’’ remains the notions listed earlier: supernatural, metaphor,
invented being, misidentified bears, and human hoaxers. Rather than attacking
or even questioning these notions or hypotheses, scientists appear to have passed
judgment, apparently concluding that the subject is unworthy of their attention.
If and when they decide to examine the existing evidence, or permit examples of
it to be displayed and discussed in scientific forums, they will find that the
existing notions are not so resistant at all. In the meantime, perhaps the repetition
of Alan Walker’s and Pat Shipman’s warning is warranted: ‘‘Even professionals,
62 J. A. Bindernagel
if they are not vigilant, are liable to fall into the trap of refusing to evaluate the
evidence objectively. . . .’’
Notes
1 ‘‘New ‘Sasquatch’ found—it’s called Bigfoot.’’ AP wire service article,
dateline Eureka, Humbolt Times of Eureka, California. Reprinted in Vancouver
Province, Monday, October 6, 1958. The track was 16 inches long and 7
inches wide and sank into the soil to a depth of 2 inches.
2 Professor Cowan’s invitation to ‘‘just show me’’ extended to the journalist
and newspaper readers was not similarly extended to the few zoologists
undertaking sasquatch research. A proposal to his successor in the zoology
department at the University of British Columbia, offering to present a seminar
on the subject, was declined.
3 This statement was part of an e-mail message from the chairperson of a recent
national conference of The Wildlife Society (TWS). The message included
a second comment intended to explain the rejection of the paper: ‘‘TWS is a
very conservatively thinking group unfortunately, and as a society does not like
to be associated with extreme viewpoints.’’
Acknowledgments
Among many others, I wish to acknowledge John Green for his support and
for sharing his database of sasquatch reports built over a 40-year period.
Professor Jeff Meldrum of Idaho State University and Dr. Henner Fahrenbach of
the Oregon Regional Primate Center have generously shared information and
ideas. Gordon Strasenburgh facilitated initial contact with the Society for
Scientific Exploration leading to this paper. Henry Bauer provided fresh insight
into the philosophical considerations involved in scientific discovery.
References
Bindernagel, J. (1998). North America’s Great Ape—The Sasquatch. Courtenay, BC: Beachcomber
Books.
Clutton-Brock, J. (2002). Mammals. London: Dorling Kindersley Handbooks.
Cremo, M. (1999). Personal communication (expanding on views put forward in Cremo, M., &
Thompson, R. (1996). Forbidden Archaeology. Los Angeles: Bhaktivedanta Books.
Dixon, A. F. (1981). The Natural History of the Gorilla. New York: Columbia University Press.
Green, J. (1968). On the Track of the Sasquatch. Agassiz, BC: Cheam Publishing.
Green, J. (1978). Sasquatch: The Apes among Us. Saanichton, BC: Hancock House.
Halpin, M. (1980). The Tsimshian monkey mask and the sasquatch. In Halpin, M., & Ames, M.
(Eds.), Manlike Monsters on Trial: Early Records and Modern Evidence. Vancouver and London:
University of British Columbia Press.
Henderson, C. M. (1976). Monsters of the West: The sasquatch and the ogopogo. In Fowke, E. (Ed.),
Folklore of Canada. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart.
Krantz, G. S. (1992). Big Footprints: A Scientific Enquiry into the Reality of the Sasquatch. Boulder,
CO: Johnson Books.
Kuhn, T. S. (1996). The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Levi-Strauss, C. (1982). The Way of the Masks. Vancouver, BC: Douglas and McIntyre.
Sasquatch: A Premature Discovery? 63
McAnulty, B. (1974). Recounting the April, 1973 report of Alan Skrumeda on the Easterville Road
(Provincial road 327), 2 miles from Hwy 6 in west-central Manitoba. Winnipeg Free Press,
January 26, 1974.
Rath, J. (1985). Milwaukee Journal. September 5, 1985.
Schaller, G. B. (1963). The Mountain Gorilla: Ecology and Behavior. Chicago: University of Chicago
Press.
Stent, G. (1972). Prematurity and uniqueness in scientific discovery. Scientific American, 227, 84–93.
Suttles, W. (1972). On the cultural track of the sasquatch. Northwest Anthropological Research
Notes, 6, 66.
Tattersall, I. (2002). The Monkey in the Mirror: Essays on the Science of What Makes Us Human.
New York: Harcourt.
Umfreville, E. (1790). An evil being. In Wallis, W. D., & Wallis, R. S. (Eds.), The Present State of
Hudson’s Bay. London: Charles Stalker. In (1982) Columbo, J. (Ed.), Wendigo. Saskatoon, SK:
Modern Press.
Walker, A., & Shipman, P. (1996). The Wisdom of the Bones: In Search of Human Origins. New
York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Wallas, J., Chief. (1981). Giant of the woods. In Kwakiutl Legends (Chapter 9). As told to Pamela
Whitaker. Vancouver, BC: Hancock House.
Watts, R. (1994). Prints, dusk cries stir boffin to hunt island sasquatch. Victoria Times-Colonist.
Friday, January 7, 1994. p. 1.
Yearington, T. (1998). Unpublished transcript of interview with eyewitness Desmond Warren
regarding his observations on the south bank of the Madawaska River between Springtown and
Burnstown located in Bagot and Blithfield township, Renfrew County, Ontario.
Young, E. R. (1893). Stories from Indian Wigwams and Northern Camp-Fires, London. In (1982)
Columbo, J. (Ed.), Wendigo. Saskatoon, SK: Modern Press.
64 J. A. Bindernagel


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PostPosted: January 3rd, 2010, 9:54 am 
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Joined: November 25th, 2006, 11:15 am
Posts: 424
Location: Grand Bend Ontario
If I may add,,cryptozoology scientists are the folks who study things like this,

•Cryptozoology (from Greek κρυπτός, kriptos, "hidden" + zoology; literally, "study of hidden animals") refers to the search for animals which are considered to be legendary or otherwise nonexistent by mainstream biology. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptozoology

Sasquatch- a Salish word from Canadas west coast describing what we call bigfoot.

Hair and feces samples (as far as I know) remain inconclusive, here's a link to just one site.

http://home.clara.net/rfthomas/papers/bryant.html

To quote a paragraph from the above,

Quote:
The major problem associated with the phenomenon of Sasquatch is proof of its physical existence. Many types of circumstantial evidence already exist and are used by believers and skeptics alike. Believers consider that the Sasquatch phenomenon results from the existence of a large group of these creatures which have thus far eluded capture. These people also argue that each piece of circumstantial evidence by itself is not sufficient, yet when all the circumstantial evidence is combined, the proof for Sasquatch existence is overwhelming. Likewise, the skeptics argue that since all available evidence for the existence of this creature is purely circumstantial it cannot be used as convincing evidence of this creature's existence.


There's been many hoaxes and I'm sure they'll be many more. An interesting subject for sure, from an older program as seen on Discovery channel talking about yetis and sasquatch? Parts 1, 2,3 for anyone interested,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=999qlb9X ... re=related

:)

_________________
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PostPosted: January 3rd, 2010, 1:17 pm 
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Joined: December 30th, 2003, 11:36 pm
Posts: 1801
Location: Kitchener Ontario
I had to post this...I know you've all seen it, and may even have heard news stories that it has been proven fake. To my knowledge, this is not the case.

Patterson Film excerpt and analysis:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbYKFc7bKR8&feature=fvw[/youtube]

Original film:(zoomed 50%)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7DFQwKlfnk&feature=related[/youtube]

Two items worth noting.... the creature is a female (Why would a faker do that?????) and it has an ass crack.... monkey suits do not.

For what it's worth.....

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Dave

"The way of a canoe is the way of the wilderness, and of a freedom almost forgotten." Sigurd Olson, 1956


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