Sasquatch – Legend, Imagination, and Hoax, but Real?
The legend of the Sasquatch goes back generations. People have seen something lumbering through the forest, and their imagination has suggested it might be a Sasquatch. Some people have even created fake Sasquatch sightings as hoaxes. However, to this day, no one has supplied tangible proof that the creature exists.
What is a Sasquatch?
The Canadian Encyclopedia states, “Sasquatch is a cryptid — a creature whose existence is suggested, but has not yet been confirmed by the scientific community.”
A Sasquatch is a large, ape-like creature that walks upright and looks like a giant human from a distance. Black or dark brown fur covers the beast. An adult male can be as tall as 2.4 meters and weigh as much as 360 kilograms. Its feet are large; footprints have been recorded as large as 61 x 20 centimetres.
It roams silently and unseen through the brush. You might smell an unusual odour or hear an eerie or haunting howl. Yet when you check it out, there’s nothing there.
The same creature, or a similar-looking creature, appears in many other parts of the world known by different names. It is called Bigfoot in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. In Asia, it’s known as Yeti; in the Himalayan Mountains, it’s known as the Abominable Snowman. The Abominable Snowman is covered in white fur to blend in with the snow-covered Himalayas.
The Legend
Sasquatch is a uniquely Canadian term. The Sasquatch is found mainly in Western Canada. The Salish First Nations of Vancouver Island first used the name Sasquatch. The word means “wild man” or “hairy man”.
Most Aboriginal peoples worldwide have legends, myths and superstitions within the spirituality of their cultures. These are handed down verbally from generation to generation through storytellers because many of these cultures lacked written language systems to document their stories.
As tribe elders grew older and spoken languages died with them, stories became exaggerated or embellished or faded out completely. It is in this spirit that the Sasquatch began, and in this spirit, it continues today. Without hard evidence, it will always be just a legend or myth.
What Did I Just See?
Many people have vivid imaginations and are highly susceptible to suggestions. If they are walking along forest trails where others have reported seeing a Sasquatch, there is a good chance that they will also see something that could have, might have, or probably was a Sasquatch. It could be a raccoon running through the underbrush, but damn it, I’m sure it must have been a Sasquatch.
Many towns or resort areas in British Columbia and Alberta mountains pray on tourists’ imaginations. They use the Sasquatch legend as an advertising gimmick to attract tourists. For most of these people, it’s just a fun vacation, but to be able to say they vacationed in Sasquatch country is not something just anyone can say. But in the back of their minds, they are thinking, “If I did see a Sasquatch, I’d be famous. Or at least it would be a good story to tell the folks back home.”
Many years ago, we were vacationing near Grand Forks in south-central BC, Canada, near the American border. It’s a small town in a valley with massive hills all around. While out walking, I saw a bear way up on the side of one of the hills. I stared at that bear for about ten minutes, but it didn’t move. Then I realized it didn’t move because bushes and rocks don’t move. The eyes see what they want to see or what they expect to see, especially at a great distance.
Here is a short video that, to me at least, is similar to my experience with the “bear” near Grand Forks.
Fake Sasquatch Sightings
Over the decades, many people have created fake Sasquatch sightings. What was their motivation? Well, the simple explanation is they were just practical jokes or pranks. However, the scientific community doesn’t take this sort of humour kindly. Those investigating the reality of the Sasquatch don’t like to be falsely led or have their work ridiculed.
As far back as 1894, there was the Jacko Hoax. The Daily Colonist newspaper reported on July 4, 1894, that a strange gorilla-like creature had been seen and captured near Yale, BC, and they called him Jacko. However, when about 200 people went to observe Jacko, it didn’t exist. However, a man at the jail, supposedly housing Jacko, wanted to tell the story and answer questions. So, the Jacko story appeared to be nothing but a hoax.
More recently, about nine years ago, Lyle Northcott of Nelson, BC, claimed to be responsible for many fake Sasquatch sightings in British Columbia. He finds it strange that people will believe that the Sasquatch exists, but they won’t accept that he staged many of the sightings.
Current Existing Evidence
There have been many reported sightings of a Sasquatch over the years. However, these sightings have yet to be verified to meet the standards of the scientific community. Grainy and blurry photos, distant videos or plaster casts of footprints are insufficient evidence of the creature’s existence. Some people have even admitted to staging false evidence as a hoax.
Now, many of you might say, “C’mon, Craig. That’s not a Sasquatch in that photo! That looks like you walking through the forest in Lynn Canyon in North Vancouver.” Well, you would be right. The quality of this picture is somewhat typical of the proof of the existence of the Sasquatch offered up by some. Not very credible or convincing. Anyway, what gave it away? Was it the white T-shirt?
Hot Spots For Reported Sasquatch Sightings
The Sasquatch lives in remote areas where people seldom venture. Therefore, you would expect that Sasquatch sightings would be rare. However, it has been seen wandering in British Columbia and Alberta’s mountainous or wooded areas. There are many hot spots in Western Canada for Sasquatch sightings. Two stand out as particularly important.
Concerned agencies have recorded more than 200 sightings in British Columbia alone over the years. Many of these sightings have been in the general area around Harrison Hot Springs. Harrison Hot Springs is at the southern end of Harrison Lake in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia. These sightings have helped to create a thriving tourist industry. Come for the beautiful scenery, the camping, and the water sports – you might even come across a Sasquatch.
Banff has also been visited often by Sasquatch. Banff is a small tourist town in Banff National Park in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta. An average of 10 Sasquatch sightings are reported in the park every year.
What If the Sasquatch Is Real?
So let’s assume for a moment that someone comes up with indisputable proof that the Sasquatch exists: a live capture, a body, or someone finds something that no one can identify as belonging to any other known species. Then what? When a legend becomes a reality, there are consequences.
Will the legend of King Kong, where the creature is hunted, held captive, and displayed for the world to see, be repeated? That didn’t work out very well for King Kong or his captors. Or will it be an attraction at county fairs like the North American freak shows of the 50s and 60s?
The world has become a kinder and gentler place since then. The Sasquatch and its habitat should become protected because that would be the right thing to do. But then again, the 60s was not so long ago.
And Now For Your Listening Enjoyment
Here’s Canada’s own Stompin’ Tom Connors singing Sasquatch Song. It’s kind of a silly little song, but I’m surprised at the words he found to rhyme with Sasquatch.
The above essay is for entertainment and English language study only. For suggestions on how to use this post to improve your English reading and listening comprehension, click here.
Vocabulary
- lumbering – intrans verb; move in a slow, clumsy, noisy way; walk in a clumsy way
- hoaxes – noun; a humorous or malicious deception, a practical joke; a trick or a lie to make someone believe something that isn’t true
- tangible – adjective; substantial, definite; real and can be seen and touched
- roam – transitive verb; travel unsystematically over, through, or about; walking around for no special reason
- eerie – adjective (eerier, eeriest); gloomy, strange, or weird, esp. inspiring unease or fear; scary
- blend in – intransitive verb; (esp. of colours) pass imperceptibly into each other; phrasal verb (a verb +) can’t see because they are the same colour
- Aboriginal – adjective; (of peoples) inhabiting or existing in a land from the earliest times; original people living in any country
- spirituality – noun; of or relating to the human spirit or soul; not of physical things; what a person believes in
- embellished – adjective; beautified, adorned; made more or better than what it really is (in this context)
- susceptible – adjective; likely to be affected by; easily affected
- gimmick – noun, informal; a trick or device; exaggeration or dishonest representation of a situation
- prank – noun; practical joke; a piece of mischief; a physical joke or trick
- staged– adjective; present or arrange a contrived, spurious, or mock version of an event; to make something look real, that isn’t (in this context)
- seldom – adverb; rarely, not often; not often
- venture – intrans verb; dare to engage in; dare to go (in this context)
- sightings – noun; an act or instance of seeing something, esp. an observation reported or recorded formally; see something and report it to the police (for example)
- hot spot noun; a place of significant activity or danger; a place where something happens often
- stand out – attributive adjective; remarkable, notable, outstanding; phrasal verb( a verb +) different, more or more often
- thriving – adjective; grow vigorously, flourish; growing, profitable, good for the economy
- indisputable – adjective; that cannot be disputed; unquestionable; for certain
Comprehensive Questions
- It has been proven that Sasquatch exists.
True or False? - A Sasquatch is a large, ape-like creature that walks upright and looks like a ____________ .
(a) a chicken, (b) a cowboy, (c) a human being, or (d) a ghost - Sasquatch live in ____________ .
(a) the sea, (b) a wooded area, (c) the city, or (d) outer space - How many Sasquatch or Bigfoot could be roaming the mountains or forests of North America at any time?
(a) 2, (b) 20, (c) 200, or (d) 2000 - Would you like to run into a Sasquatch on a weekend hike in the woods?
Yes or No?
Resources
- The Canadian Encyclopedia
- Wikipedia – Jacko Hoax
