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                                           Short-Faced Bear (Field Museum)                       Great Ape                                          Human

Sasquatch and the Short-Faced Bear. Who are they?

He was between ten and eleven feet tall when standing on his hind legs. His arms were long, and his toes faced straight ahead, creating a human-like stance when walking. He weighed as much as sixteen hundred pounds, probably impressive to his lady friend, half his size. Though the couple enjoyed tasty meat dishes, she may have eaten more vegetables. In general, they weren't that picky, adapting to the food in various climates and terrains. The species occupied North America during the Pleistocene, between 1.6 million years ago and the end of the ice age, approximately 11,000 thousand years ago. Their remains have been found in the plains, steppe tundra, boreal forests, open grasslands, and subtropical woodlands. Archeologists call them Arctodus sinus, or Short-faced Bears.

After seeing a museum rendition of a Short-faced Bear, I wondered if they were behind stories of Sasquatch or Bigfoot, as they were called when Hollywood glamorized them. For nearly 5,000 years, the Short-faced Bear shared the land with the Clovis people who had crossed the Bering Sea and with those who sailed here from Oceana. When these First Americans encountered Short-faced Bears, they must have found them frightening and taught their children to hide from them. Could they be the ones who named them Sasquatch?

The original word for Sasquatch is "Sasq'ets," from the Halq'emeylem language of Coast Salish First Nation peoples of southwestern British Columbia. Though Sasquatch's habitat is usually associated with the rainforests of the Pacific Northwest, the species is said to thrive in the High Desert, in dry canyon lands, pine forests, and scrublands as well. And so did the Short-faced bear.

Though Sasquatch is described as a cross between a gorilla and a human, I think the bear and human would be a better analysis. Stories about the creatures go back thousands of years, well before recorded history, and are said to roam the forests today. The hairy man (or is it fur) with a flat face was believed to have special powers. The Ojibway people of the Northern Plaines believe he appeared in times of danger as a messenger of warning, telling humans to change their ways. All tribes see Sasquatch as shrouded in power and magic, though some describe him as violent and crude, and others say he's helpful.

Sasquatch?

 Native American Mask from my collection

Children must have been frightened when elders told stories about Sasquatch. He was described as being seven to ten feet tall, with a penetrating odor and a howl that can make your hair stand on end. Tribal members say it is incumbent upon them to protect Sasquatch's anonymity.

The historical record of Sasquatch in Oregon began in 1904 when settlers on the Coast Range reported seeing a hairy wild man. Witnesses say he walked through the forest at night, digging for ground squirrels in rock piles. Decades later, a group of miners reported being savagely attacked by giant apes on Mount St. Helens. Their cabin was pelted with gigantic rods, and a huge hairy ape arm reached in through the window to try to grab an axe left on a table. The men took aim at the beast, shots rang out, frightening them away, and they lived to tell the tale. Most reported encounters characterize Sasquatch as non-aggressive, shy, intelligent beings who travel in family groups and hide from human encounters. Writers of fiction and science fiction depict Sasquatch as a charismatic beast living in harmony with the environment.

If my take is correct, the Short-faced Bear, not a great ape, gave birth to the Sasquatch legend and the hundreds of stories that were, are, and will continue to create speculation about elusive creatures roaming the woods. What do you think?What do you think? Please comment below.

References:

Robert Walls Bigfoot(Sasquatch) Legend. Oregon Encyclopedia (2024 website). Retrieved from https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/bigfoot_sasquatch_legend/

Website (2024)Short-faced Bear. Illinois State Museum 

Retrieved from https://iceage.museum.state.il.us/mammals/short-faced-bear-0#:~:text

Neil, (2019) Is Bigfoot Real? Facts. Retrieved from https://facty.com/network/answers/things/is-bigfoot-real/?style=quick&utm_

Website (2024) Sensing Sasquatch. The High Desert Museum. Retrieved from https://highdesertmuseum.org/sensing-sasquatch/

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 Fiction is usually based on glimmers of truth. Like the Short-faced Bear, The Water Factor: A Rightfully Mine Novel is also speculative to a point, with much of the story based on fact. Access to clean water is denied to those in war-torn countries and poor communities without the means to pay for it. According to the UN, water is at the center of the climate crisis. You have a chance to peer into the near future to a time of water scarcity controlled by corporate criminals. The story is a gripping tale that will have you turning pages.

The Water Factor is available in ebook, paperback, and audio formats. It can be purchased on AMAZON, Barnes and Noble, and as an audiobook on Amazon, Audible, and iTunes. Ask your bookstore to order a copy from Ingram. I am available to zoom into book club discussions.