1840 Missionary Account Of Spokane Tribe Myth

[norseman]

http://www.bigfootencounters.com/legends/spokanes.htm

cut from article:

"... I suppose you will beat with me [sic] if I trouble you with a little of their (the Spokane Indians) superstition, which has recently come to my knowledge."

"They believe in the existence of a race of giants which inhabit a certain mountain off to the west of us. This mountain is covered with perpetual snow. They inhabit its top. They may be classed with Goldsmith's nocturnal class, as they cannot see in the daytime. They hunt and do all their work: in the night."

"They are men stealers. They come to the people's lodges in the night, when the people are asleep, and put them under their skins and take them to their place of abode without their even walking. When they awake in the morning they are wholly lost, not knowing in what direction their home is. The account the Indians give of these giants will in some measure correspond with the Bible account of such a race of beings. They say their track is about a foot and a half long. They will carry two or three beams upon their back at once."

"They frequently come in the night, steal their salmon from the nets, and eat them raw. If the people are away they always know when they are coming very near by their strong smell, which most intolerable. It is not uncommon for them to come in the night and give three whistles. Then the stones will begin to hit the houses. The people are troubled with their nocturnal visits."

//////////////////////////////////

i would say the Spokane tribes description of the myth that we now call Bigfoot is not at all at odds with what people describe today. yes? no?

im not asking anyone to believe in something without tangible proof, on the contrary i think ive been a pretty strong proponent of securing physical proof. But i do not think it is fair to say that the attributes of the myth we call bigfoot is some modern invention.

Edited July 30, 2015 by norseman

[Guest]

I love that site Norseman. It's filled with great information, especially the historical stuff.

I'm also in full agreement with you. The Indian stories match very well with our BF. The long and rich history adds a lot of credibility IMHO.

[Rockape]

Agreed about bigfootencounters. One of the best if not the best source out there for BF stories.

 

I'd say that story only influences what we describe as bigfoot IF bigfoot doesn't exist. I mean, if it doesn't, we had to come up with it through collective thought biased by what we have heard others say.

 

If it does exist, then yeah, what they decribe is generally what others decribe today, as it should be if there is a tall bipedal wildman roaming about.

[Guest]

You must be wrong Norseman. We keep getting told that bigfoot/sasquatch is nothing but a 1950s social construct.

[Yuchi1]

Thousands of years of legend & lore with all the stories basically lining up as to physical descriptions, behaviors, interactions, et. al..

 

Yep, you know how those "honest injuns" are....

[Rockape]

<Thousands of years of legend & lore with all the stories basically lining up as to physical descriptions, behaviors, interactions, et. al..>

 

No, not all of them. Actually only a few line up with what we think of as bigfoot. Most in fact are a huge leap to say they are describing bigfoot.

[Guest]

Agreed about bigfootencounters. One of the best if not the best source out there for BF stories.

 

I'd say that story only influences what we describe as bigfoot IF bigfoot doesn't exist. I mean, if it doesn't, we had to come up with it through collective thought biased by what we have heard others say.

 

If it does exist, then yeah, what they decribe is generally what others decribe today, as it should be if there is a tall bipedal wildman roaming about.

 

Rock, I agree and I am totally beside myself with your post. That was very good.

[Cotter]

What the heck was Bob H. doing in 1840?
 

Is he a time traveler now?

I'd like to add that the book is titled Nine Years with the Indians (The diary of Elkanah Walker), by Drury.

 

It can be purchased.

 

SO.  why would the good reverand make this up?  That's what 'footers do, right?  Make things up for attention and money?

[Rockape]

Rock, I agree and I am totally beside myself with your post. That was very good.

Thanks, though I'll tell you the same thing I told BobbyO, if you agree with me you'd better start being concerned with your mental health.

 

I think the Native Americans were just as puzzled by BF as we are today.

[Guest]

Thanks, though I'll tell you the same thing I told BobbyO, if you agree with me you'd better start being concerned with your mental health.

 

I think the Native Americans were just as puzzled by BF as we are today.

 

That's twice now, you better stop or people will start talking! LOL

[norseman]

Thanks, though I'll tell you the same thing I told BobbyO, if you agree with me you'd better start being concerned with your mental health.

 

I think the Native Americans were just as puzzled by BF as we are today.

i think even more so, as far as the "what is it" category. They had never seen a great ape, or have a working knowldge of the fossil record. Look at what we have learned in the last 50 years concerning our ancestors!

[Yuchi1]

<Thousands of years of legend & lore with all the stories basically lining up as to physical descriptions, behaviors, interactions, et. al..>

 

No, not all of them. Actually only a few line up with what we think of as bigfoot. Most in fact are a huge leap to say they are describing bigfoot.

 

What you have to apply as a filter is they were describing entities in the context of their own understanding, at that/those point(s) in time.

[Cotter]

I wonder if by chance there was a settlement of Europeans that made their way from the copper mines in the UP of Michigan.  I'm thinking a band of large stature vikings with their fur coats and horned helmets, wearing large caribou skin boots could be mistaken for a large hairy wildman.

 

(The Native Americans were exporting copper 5,000 years ago to Europe...perhaps some of their consumers decided to head west?)

[Martin]

 ...........

SO.  why would the good reverand make this up?  That's what 'footers do, right?  Make things up for attention and money?

The Reverend probably didn't make it up. It was told to him by some random indian who probably was handed down the story from another random indian.

Sounds like a good story to keep the youngster in camp at night.

Modern bigfoot can see in the daylight quite well. He doesn't collect logs. They don't really kidnap people.

At least he hasn't been doing these things as much since the 1950's.

[Rockape]

What you have to apply as a filter is they were describing entities in the context of their own understanding, at that/those point(s) in time.

You do that and you'll find bigfoots everywhere.

 

Many of these stories merely decribe a human living wild. However, there is no doubt many can be construed as being a bigfoot, they usually are described as very tall and nocturnal, but I need more than that to say they are describing a bigfoot. Many of these stories specifically state they are just "indians" and also tell how they use fire and other human ways.

 

I've also seen quite a few of these stories mention coyote (the trickster, but with a name like Yuchi I think you know what I mean and it doesn't need explanation) so that, to me at least, indicates it is nothing more than a Native American fairy tale. I also dismiss connections to bigfoot between skinwalkers or the Wendigo.

 

And mind you, I'm not saying all are not describing what we would consider a bigfoot, many do, I just don't see as many that I would say "Yeah, they're talking about a BF" as others do.