Page 29 - 201002 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - February 2010

February 2010_june_july_2009.qxd 18/02/2010 9:04 AM Page 29 Museum explores history of sasquatch 29 Museum exhibit explores history of sasquatch JEFFREY P. MAYOR The News Tribune “Giants in the Mountains: The Search for Sasquatch” does not attempt to prove or disprove the existence of sasquatch, but instead looks at how and why the story is so ingrained in the cultural fabric of the Northwest. The story of sasquatch certainly goes far beyond the 1987 movie “Harry and the Hendersons” or recent beef jerky TV commercials. It has been told for centuries among Northwest Indian tribes. That mix of ancient mythology and The exhibit also includes five Indian people who live out here. “If you come here looking for an exhibit modern commercialism is the focal point of a masks, four of which are believed to have been poking fun at people or mocking the story, this made in the 1920s. sasquatch exhibit that opened Saturday at the Washington State History Museum. Also on display are a number of is not your exhibit. This is too important to “One of the themes of the exhibit is to footprints casts, including items from the many people, like the tribal communities, the look at sasquatch from a perspective that people collection of Dr. Jeffrey Meldrum, a Discovery people out there researching sasquatch. We don’t think about how far-reaching the story is,” Channel Bigfoot expert and professor at Idaho want to present those sides of the story as well State University. There also are casts from the as the side about people who are making money said Gwen Perkins, the co-curator on the exhibit. “If you look back into history, this type late Dr. Grover Krantz, a noted Bigfoot off of this.” of story has been reflected in legends and stories researcher and anthropologist from Washington all over the world. But this story also has such State University. BIGFOOT FACTS “He was one of the first scientists to strong connections to the Northwest.” come out and say sasquatch exists,” Perkins from www.ourbigfoot.com Sasquatch is a word derived from the Bigfoot is an interesting phenomena, and Salish word “sesqec,” meaning “wild man,” said of Krantz. “That had a pretty major impact one which has little facts surrounding the stories. Perkins said. In other parts of the world, the on how people looked at the possibility of this Yet, we will give you the top Bigfoot facts, then the name is Bigfoot, Yeti or Wild Man. Definitions being real.” common descriptions, beliefs, etc. Perkins admits not everyone who sees of the names vary from “ape man” to “bad luck the exhibit will be convinced sasquatch is real. #1: People have spotted Bigfoot creatures spirit” and from “big elder brother” to “evil for over four hundred years, describing the creature cannibal spirit.” She recalled a letter to the editor written to The as hairy men; creatures of the forest. Sightings of The exhibit is built around about 40 Olympian when the exhibit appeared at the Bigfoot-type cryptids have taken place all over the significant items, including casts of alleged State Capital Museum. The letter’s author asked world, with tribal cultures (such as Native footprints, ancient stone carving and Indian why the museum would not do an exhibit on the Americans and Bigfoot) having lore of tooth fairy if it did one on Bigfoot. masks. such a man-beast. One of the key artifacts is a prehistoric That was the lone dissent, however, said #2: Bigfoot footprints have been found and stone head borrowed from the Maryhill Rohrer, the Olympia museum manager. reported for over seventy years. 3: As long as people have been spotting # Museum of Art. The carving was found in the “We had huge attendance. We had Bigfoot animals, just as many or more have been Columbia Basin in the 1890s and is believed to people fly in from out of state for this exhibit. I faking evidence of the same. From producing had people from Southern California call to see date from 1,500 B.C. to 500 A.D., Perkins said. Bigfoot costumes, fake tracks, to manufacturing “When you see them, they resemble where was the nearest airport to Olympia so Bigfoot evidence, hoaxsters have duped friends and gorillas. There have been at least four of these they could fly in,” Rohrer said. family into believing they had an experience with stone heads,” Perkins said. Then there was the day Meldrum and Bigfoot. Today, Bigfoot sightings still occur, There was a lot of debate when they Bob Gimlin spoke at the museum. Gimlin is whether real or not,it is up to you to decide. were found, Perkins added, questioning how famous for being part of the group that filmed #4: No one has yet produced a "smoking people at that time would have seen a gorilla- what they claim was a Bigfoot in Northern gun" that proves the existence of Bigfoot. There like creature. California in 1967. have been many Bigfoot videos, Bigfoot stories, and “Anthropologists have one belief about “We held two programs that day, but we Bigfoot sounds, hair, and foot tracks claimed to be proof of the legendary animal's existence. Yet, to it, sasquatch people have their belief about it,” still must have turned away 200 people,” Rohrer date, there has been no live Bigfoot body, or carcass said. said Susan Rohrer, manager at the State Capital found that would put the Bigfoot debate to rest for Museum. The head was part of the exhibit when “I never had an exhibit when I had to good. it appeared in Olympia in 2007-08. stand between a speaker and the public so the #5: Descriptions of Bigfoot have varied in “What is the origin of them, why are speaker could go get dinner,” she added. height, weight, and color. Most Bigfoot descriptions these stone heads there? It really is a “Meldrum was on the floor of the museum for claim Bigfoot to be between seven and eight feet 12 hours that day, people just wanted to speak to cornerstone of the exhibit,” Rohrer added. tall. Some Bigfoot creatures have been described as Another part of the exhibit looks at the him, show him evidence.” tall as fourteen feet, and as short as five feet. Color story of sasquatch in Northwest Indians culture. Gimlin is scheduled to speak at the descriptions of Bigfoot fur have ranged from black, “There are easily hundreds of sasquatch Tacoma museum in June. white, brown and even red. Many Bigfoot stories “It’s an exhibit that has a really focused legends, particularly here in the Northwest,” interest group,” Rohrer said. “There are describe the beast as being one of foul odor, weighing between 300-800 lbs. Perkins said. #6: The origin of Bigfoot has been bantered One told frequently by the Nisqually scientists, naturalists, pop culturists, about by researchers for years, as there are various Tribe of Indians is the story of the giant hairy ethnographers, the hobbyists, people who enjoy theories as to where a giant ape-man could have beast Tsiatko, believed to mean nocturnal the unknown. It’s kind of one of the last come from. Some believe Bigfoot is closely related demon. unknowns, kind of like UFOs.” to humans, while others believe Bigfoot originated “We understand this is a topic that is “They thought it was huge, with 18-inch from a long-extinct,giant ape. Yet, others propose feet shaped like a bear’s. One thing that keeps very strongly under debate. We’re trying to that Bigfoot is some sort of highly-evolved coming up, here and on the east side, sasquatch portray a very balanced view,” Perkins said. “In creature, or even an extraterrestrial. supposedly has an owl voice,” she said. a sense, whether the creature actually exists isn’t as important as the impact it has had on the More Bigfoot Facts at www.ourbigfoot.com