Big Foot Research Paper

Big Foot: Our Greatest Mystery Cryptids and mythical creatures have peaked human interest since the beginning of recorded time, big foot is our greatest, most relevant mystery. People have begun to see big foot before the media had brought it to life. Most sightings occur in isolated woodland areas, which is perfect big foot habitat. Sightings have occurred in places such as Canada, Hawaii, Colorado, New Mexico, and even Russia. As for what big foot is; science and tradition have two different theories. “Science categorizes Big Foot as an intelligent unidentified primate or Neanderthal” (Krantz). Traditionally Native Americans believe big foot is an ancient shape shifter or skin walker. Legends of big foot in New Mexico say he and many other
big foots helped the Navajos survive the Long Walk. Although Big Foot is common worldwide it is a mystery that is yet to be concluded. The first recorded sighting of Big Foot was reported by a man named “David Thompson which occurred in the Canadian wilderness of Jasper Alberta” (Krystek). During this sighting he was also able to report a fourteen inch long and eight inch wide foot prints in the mountain snow. The latest sighting was five months ago on July 29th, 2015 by a veteran police officer that did not want to be identified in McDade Park, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania. He describes the event as such: “…A few days ago I was driving in patrol toward McDade Park in Scranton PA. It was late at night I was just checking the park making sure all was ok and I just noticed a very dark object leaning over the edge of the road near the pool as I drove pass. I passed extremely close to the object-close enough for me to feel shocked to see a large hairy section of well-muscled leg and a big hairy wrist and hand as the creature turned I screamed and grabbed my cell to snap a pic and my gun. I slammed on the brakes and I was ready to shoot I’m combat trained, I have a weapon, I just had to see what the hell it was! I wanted to see the entire thing for myself – but what can I say. Whatever it was for me either was a monkey a huge one or a bigfoot…” (Woolheater). As many sightings that do occur sometimes there are more sightings than usual; this is when a peak in sightings occur. The years of 1921 to 2012 a peak in reports around the United States occurred. After this rise in reported sightings another recent one was between the years of 2000 and 2009 (See Figure 1). Areas where peak reports and all general reports happen include places such as: “Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, and New Mexico” (Lallanilla). The commonality between these areas where big foot was found is the resources available here. Most, if not all of these areas are bountiful in water and resources. Most importantly, they are completely isolated; usually a place where not many people would go. The differences in these areas are either extreme heat, cold, or tropical climates. The main point to where this creature resides is seclusion, and this is where the history of this creature’s residence is observed. The history of big foot begins with where he is and what humans made him out to be.
To the Native Americans big foot is a brother of ours. Scientifically he is an unrecorded primate species in the world known as a cryptid. A cryptid is defined as “a creature unknown to science” (Shea). The first incidents, unrecorded, are said to have begun with Native Americans. The natives describe big foot as”…generally shy and benign figures…they may take things that don’t belong to them…but they do not harm people and may even come to aide” (Native Languages of the Americas). Most sightings occurred in the 18th or 19th century leaving room for legends to
develop. Places with legends of Big Foot spread across the United States and overseas.
The places that do have legends of Big Foot include: Canada, Nepal, Australia, and Indonesia. Some examples of these legends are found in Australia, and Indonesia. In Australia the Big Foot is known as the “Wild Man from down under” or “Yowie.” In Indonesia it is known as “orang-perdek” (Radford) but in English, “little-man.” A more specific legend comes from a Christian based idea. It is said that god disliked Big Foot because his DNA was not pure. Genetic manipulation of any kind is not tolerable in the Christian faith. Big Foot was said to be a hybrid of some kind, therefore god banished him. Big Foot was “…driven forth from among men, to dwell in cliffs of the valleys…” (Cahuft). All of these religions are what made the legend of big foot come alive, even in our homeland of New
Mexico. The Navajos believe that big foot is a skin walker or in better terms a shape shifter. He is everything around you and that is why he cannot be found nor captured. Big foot is immortal because of his powers and can live longer than scientific reasoning. Big foot’s purpose was to care for his fellow human he is a caring and gentle as a human or primate. It is believed to be a maternal instinct to help. Today it is classified as evil or demonic because of the tricks it plays on the mind but it only does this out of its own protection in order to stay alive it must be able to have a form of “camouflage.” According to my mother’s grandmother “the first to notice it were the Navajos” (Sandoval). “At this time Navajos were enduring the Long Walk by Kit Carson but Big Foot accompanied them and brought them food and water without being discovered” (Sandoval). He was never discovered because of his shape shifting. Even today he uses this power to evade any type of unwanted contact with humans. One example is called “Navajo Cops, filmed by national geographic; they were able to film big foot appear and disappear” (Saint). It will always be a strange occurrence to have different, unworldly creatures to walk this earth that we thought we knew everything about. People see them, and still they are not accepted. They might just be legends like the Jersey Devil and Lochness Monster but too much has happened to stop the research and belief of these creatures. Legends that could be real and stories that can be too will never truly be confirmed but rather looked at as a hypothesis or theory. Everything about the idea of Big Foot and other cryptids all spark the imagination to look further.