Bigfoot & Native Americans...

[Guest Forbig]

As fascinating as this all is, and I am indeed fascinated, can we leave the racial stuff out of it and just get on with the stories? What is a slur to some is not to others, and depending on how you look at it, it could be name calling. If it has to be referred to at all why can't you just say Caucasian, African American, Asian, or Native American as it applies on the census forms so that way we can focus on the content of what everyone is posting instead of worrying about whether we should be insulted or not.

I posted a good Native American video about Bigfoot once with their belief on one particular sighting but it was removed immediately. It also had treaty talk and that was considered a political topic. I was told that politics are a no no here.

[Guest]

I posted a good Native American video about Bigfoot once with their belief on one particular sighting but it was removed immediately. It also had treaty talk and that was considered a political topic. I was told that politics are a no no here.

I have no idea what you are talking about regarding your video. Political topics are a not allowed, no exceptions.

[Guest]

I can give my knowledge away of Bagwajinini or I can keep answering petty arguments. My people and I have every right to be protective of our lands. There is a HUGE difference between making a threat and/or specifically stating that "we will not tolerate".

Do I need to send up a red flare??? Did you not see my post above yours? One more time people, y'all are just begging for it and that is a threat. A threat to close the thread, everyone understand?

[Guest]

Bagwajinini,

Thank you for sharing your teachings here. PLEASE consider sharing other aspects of your culture with us. I and I'm sure others find it fascinating. My culture knew of the woodwose or wudwasa, carving his likeness into cathedrals and church ornamentation throughout Europe. Sadly those traditions are lost now. I'm sure the Pre-Christian Europeans knew of large hairy men also, telling the stories in mead halls and around fires. It is important to keep these group memories alive, and you are to be commended for doing so, from your cultural perspective.

edited for clarity

Edited August 3, 2011 by John T

[Guest]

John T, you get a big fat "+" from me.

Bagwajinini, thank you for posting. I hope that you continue to share, despite disagreements and misunderstandings. I think that many of us forget that the various First Nations cultures/subcultures are VERY different in outlook than modern western views, even while native peoples live in the modern western world, and it is easy to get "wires crossed."

[Guest]

Thank you John and Notgiganto for bringing sanity back to the thread.

[Guest Forbig]

I have no idea what you are talking about regarding your video. Political topics are a not allowed, no exceptions.

I wouldn't expect you to, it was a pretty good topic they expressed some strong feelings in it and tied Bigfoot into their territory rights. It's an interesting video/story but I guess if I found it again the only way to show it is out of the back of my trunk like a drug dealer.

[Guest]

I wouldn't expect you to, it was a pretty good topic they expressed some strong feelings in it and tied Bigfoot into their territory rights. It's an interesting video/story but I guess if I found it again the only way to show it is out of the back of my trunk like a drug dealer.

All I can tell you is there is no harm in asking a moderator to preview something if there are any doubts before you post.

[Guest wudewasa]

Bagwajinini,

Thank you for sharing your teachings here. PLEASE consider sharing other aspects of your culture with us. I and I'm sure others find it fascinating. My culture knew of the woodwose or wudwasa, carving his likeness into cathedrals and church ornamentation throughout Europe. Sadly those traditions are lost now. I'm sure the Pre-Christian Europeans knew of large hairy men also, telling the stories in mead halls and around fires. It is important to keep these group memories alive, and you are to be commended for doing so, from your cultural perspective.

Good call John T. Unfortunately, too many non whites/caucasians/whatever PC term you want to use don't know the history of people from northern Europe. Once, these people were tribal, but genocide from Roman invasion, the Church's assimilation and culture purging policies (history and politics intertwine) were lethal to most indigenous beliefs and languages. What has happened to native people in the Americas for half a millenia has been going on in Europe for 2000 years. That's a fact. Natives are lucky to have languages, stories and traditions left over from the colonizing brutality- most other peoples have NOTHING!!!! Knock off the victimization, it's wrong but natives are not the first to get the hard blues of nation state versus aboriginals.

The Wendigo legend is very similar to that of Beowulf and Grendel, except that no mosquitoes were the product of the offending creature's death, just a severed arm and a lot of delicious mead!

Bagwajinini, I get your point of "trespassers who act like idiots will be punished traditionally," and your term "white" refers generally to nonindians. My native friends use it all the time in conversations, and we understand one another, no offense toward myself. There are other threads dealing with the behavior of the Finding Bigfoot team that I would enjoy reading your comments about.

I understand your protectiveness of your culture and land, but I ask you to be less defensive with people on here, there are many good ones who post on BFF regardless of their heritage. Yes, there are those who exploit native ways for profit and misrepresent traditions, but unfortunately, we have a lot of those in the nonindian world too.

Welcome, and your patience with those who do not understand or accept your perspective is highly appreciated!

[Guest BAGWAJININI]

I just want to add that these entities are not only a part of North American Native tradition but I think are universal. I am a good christian lady of German descent and I had a dream of a thunderbird that turned into a man who threw a blanket over me. A very NA sort of dream. I believed him to be a messenger from the creator, and I considered it a very special dream message that I treasure. I suppose different cultures would put different meanings to it, and perhaps a little different slant. Maybe I am a bit out of the norm for a white lady, but maybe not. My people paid attention to the messages in their dreams long before scientific thinking came along. There was a lot of power and authority, I consider messages from the creator, given in dreams and dream language in my own family through the generations. My family also had a tradition of caring for others, in particular in medicine and in spirituality. It all came in one package. Dreams often gave an insight into a troubled situation or a situation where healing or extra information was required. There were many supernatural events too, in a good way. We call them angelic interventions, while another culture might call them spirit helpers or maybe just luck. And to tie this all in with sasquatches, I think that people who have this extra sensitivity to their world and to others may also be the kind of people who are able to see sasquatches. Their minds are able to encompass the idea, they are not afraid or at least are not afraid enough to stick around and be available for experiences. They are not afraid to walk alone in the forest but walk with confidence knowing they are not really alone, and that something greater than themselves cares for them daily, someone who is powerful and to whom they pray on a regular basis.

The dream you had was powerful. In my culture it's a calling to join a certain secret society specifically for healers. The words you speak remind of something my namesake once told me; "the world is open to anyone with an open mind and room to learn".

[Guest BAGWAJININI]

I just want to add that these entities are not only a part of North American Native tradition but I think are universal. I am a good christian lady of German descent and I had a dream of a thunderbird that turned into a man who threw a blanket over me. A very NA sort of dream. I believed him to be a messenger from the creator, and I considered it a very special dream message that I treasure. I suppose different cultures would put different meanings to it, and perhaps a little different slant. Maybe I am a bit out of the norm for a white lady, but maybe not. My people paid attention to the messages in their dreams long before scientific thinking came along. There was a lot of power and authority, I consider messages from the creator, given in dreams and dream language in my own family through the generations. My family also had a tradition of caring for others, in particular in medicine and in spirituality. It all came in one package. Dreams often gave an insight into a troubled situation or a situation where healing or extra information was required. There were many supernatural events too, in a good way. We call them angelic interventions, while another culture might call them spirit helpers or maybe just luck. And to tie this all in with sasquatches, I think that people who have this extra sensitivity to their world and to others may also be the kind of people who are able to see sasquatches. Their minds are able to encompass the idea, they are not afraid or at least are not afraid enough to stick around and be available for experiences. They are not afraid to walk alone in the forest but walk with confidence knowing they are not really alone, and that something greater than themselves cares for them daily, someone who is powerful and to whom they pray on a regular basis.

The dream you had was powerful. In my culture it's a calling to join a certain secret society specifically for healers. The words you speak remind of something my namesake once told me; "the world is open to anyone with an open mind and room to learn".

[Guest BAGWAJININI]

Do I need to send up a red flare??? Did you not see my post above yours? One more time people, y'all are just begging for it and that is a threat. A threat to close the thread, everyone understand?

Actually I didn't see your post until you mentioned it. I look for the green boxes with my own name in it and pretty much skim through the others, but the first thing I've been looking for is posts on my posts. I see it now though. I didn't even know that the group was monitored. I actually feel a little better now. I've been feeling a little attacked with petty stuff. Now I see you will handle it.

[Guest BAGWAJININI]

Who knows it could have been the other way around. Maybe it thought you were trying to steal it's deer and it wasn't going to let you have it.

There are a lot of people who have admitted they soiled themselves during their bf sighting so you are not alone in that regard.

After thinking critically to myself about your thoughts, I've come to the conclusion that if he was stalking the deer he would have needed to come into the field from behind me as the deer did. I also question to myself why he didn't leave the situation during the gunfire. I can't answer that question. The little I saw before closing my eyes, however, was enough to know that he must hunt very easily. Breaking a branch off a tree and simply swatting the deer in the back of the head with precision isn't common. Good aim. Like He simply knocked it out and broke the neck at the same time. I don't know anyone who would watch that without messing themselves.

Did he know I was there? He had to have. I spent most of that morning practicing breathing techniques so that my breathe wouldn't be seen easily because my breathe was creating fog. The only movements I made that morning were to slowly lower my head and blow through the deer grunt hose thingy. If a deer didn't see me did he? His approach alone suggests almost as though he had knowledge that the deer was lame. He didn't sneak up on the deer, he ran it down.

Also, while I stood there still in fear trying to control my own bodily functions, he didn't even acknowledge my presence. He wasn't there to visit me as an Anishinaabe man. He was hunting. I had something he wanted and he took it.

When he approaches in dream he is calm and he simply shows things and touches things. He doesn't talk to me. When I've seen him or heard him other times in the woods he is evasive. I can't pretend to fully understand him. I do, however, feel blessed that he's come into my life. Fact is, when I see him or hear him in the woods I am still afraid. I think we're supposed to be afraid, respectful and patient as we are with a grandfather though.

[Guest BAGWAJININI]

Bagwajinini is also referred to as the keeper of our mother. When the elders referred to mother they were talking about Earth. I've heard them say that when we are gone that he would still be here. I've heard them say that he is the only being that has survived all of Earths ages (i.e. ice age, dinosaur age, etc.). I've heard the elders say that he favors moose. I don't know if it meant he eats them or simply loves them and has a special bond with them. The great thing about Bagwajinini is that we all have the rest of our lives to figure him out. Perhaps it's better that we don't simply become aware of an abundance of information or we'd become overwhelmed and go crazy.

Some things take time.

[Guest wudewasa]

His approach alone suggests almost as though he had knowledge that the deer was lame. He didn't sneak up on the deer, he ran it down.

Also, while I stood there still in fear trying to control my own bodily functions, he didn't even acknowledge my presence. He wasn't there to visit me as an Anishinaabe man. He was hunting. I had something he wanted and he took it.

How far were you away from this creature? Did you get a good look at the face? If so, can you describe it in detail?

Thanks.