Jinna: Mysterious Track – Bigfoot

Jinna, 5/22/2009

Mysterious Track – Bigfoot

When you are going to a place where is said has Bigfoot, wouldn’t you feel excited? Maybe out of your hiking tent, she/he is taking a family walking. Maybe when you walk along the forest, Bigfoot is hunting his/her dinner. Maybe you are lucky enough, you could see he/she is just running not very far from you. Would you just run away with fear? Or would you trace his/her way to see the fact to clear your suspicion and curiosity?
When people trying to find Bigfoot, there are believers, there are deniers, also there are fakes. Bigfoot’s mysterious tracks have attracted so many people to search and study. Even there still no convinced evidence of its existence, Bigfoot is no longer a simply nature phenomenon but also a culture which influences people’s life.
Bigfoot has appeared almost a century, however, until now the mystery about them still exists. “The term, ‘Bigfoot,’ has been in folk and the journalistic use since the 1920.” (Streufert 3) From that time many people “see” Bigfoot, feel Bigfoot, report Bigfoot and research and study them. Even until now the mystery about them still exists, but it is this mystery that makes people from all over the world crazy about it. Not only in America, Bigfoot “exists” almost every continent. “It’s referred to as Bigfoot in the United States, Mapinguari in the Amazon, Sasquatch in Australia [,] Yeti (Abominable Snowman) in Asia,” (Zan 1) and Yeren in Shengnongjia China. No matter where, at first, Bigfoot affairs only belonged to “amateurs”. It was just tracked by “amateurs” as interests. With more and more things appeared about Bigfoot, scientists started taking actions and studying them. They use advanced machines to track Bigfoot and they identified the hair which said are Bigfoot’s. During people’s researches there happened very excited things—many people said they saw Bigfoot, but there are still some fakes that confused people to judge. Also, Scientists still don’t have strong evidence to prove Bigfoot is there or not. (Regal)
Among the evidences that may prove Bigfoot’s existence, the witness stories are very attractive and convinced. When I read them, I really wish that I could be part of those stories to see the real Bigfoot. I read the witnesses of Bigfoot such as the story mentioned in the “Bigfoot seen in vicinity of Christmas Tree Lake”, and “the Bossburg incident” (Regal 1) which really made others to believed that Bigfoot exists. While there are fakes, like the “findingbigfoot.com” that found by Biscardi (Streufert 5), that made people to doubt Bigfoot’s existence. I think the people who make fakes just take advantages of passionate people’s attentions to earn money, fame, or maybe they just for fun. However what those fakes brought out are worse than just fun. Because those fake, people fell even hard to believe the true stories about Bigfoot.
What fakes use are people’s passions toward Bigfoot. Why people have so many passions to find out Bigfoot? It’s because human beings all have curious about the mysterious things. At the beginning, Bigfoot appeared “in the Times at the right cultural moment, when the world was ripe for a new mystery […when] new symbols of the wild and natural were required.” (Streufert 3) People want to know whether Bigfoot is out their house or not, they want to know what Bigfoot is, how she/he lives. While for scientists Bigfoot is not that simple, it may have more complicated meaning — “some scientists theorize the creature could be the missing link between primates and humans.” (Bigfoot’s sighting in China 1) This is the reason why scientists set up tents in the remote mountains or forests to search Bigfoot.
For me, I also agree the point that some scientists think Bigfoot is the missing link of human’s revolution and I prefer to believe that Bigfoot is a kind of ape. Based on the pictures and people’s descriptions of Bigfoot, it is hairy, big and has “the huge, hunched back, ape-like face […] flexing feet and hands.” (Streufert) These figures all like an ape. Ape is also big, hairy, walked by legs and has hunched back, they are so similar. As we know ape is the predecessor of human, so maybe Bigfoot could tell us the detail process of how ape became human being. If it is found, I think it may make a big breakthrough in biology revolution theory.
Besides the important meaning of Bigfoot in professional fields, among people, Bigfoot gradually becomes a “cultural phenomenon.” (Streufert 3) For instance, in Humboldt County, north California, Bigfoot has already become part of people’s life. In the Humboldt County, bookstore named Bigfoot; people’s T-shirt and hats marked with Bigfoot logos; the status Of Bigfoot stands beside the street. Maybe people live there are not very eager to find out what Bigfoot is, they just live with Bigfoot in harmony. For the Bigfoot in China —Yeren, this culture phenomenon also occurred. In Shennongjia people built up Yeren statuses-- standing along the road and waving hands to you; they made Yeren souvenirs of different sizes; also there is a valley just besides Shennongjia named Yeren Valley is open as a tourist spot. No matter in America or China, the Bigfoot or Yeren in people’s mind is beyond the scientific meaning but became part of people’s life.
In the enormous forests, deep valleys and remote mountains, there are a lot of things we don’t know. Bigfoot maybe just finished his/her new cave behind one of the trees. However, maybe all we saw are just the problem of light reflection, it may just a bear or monkey. Because those unknown reasons Bigfoot became a mystery, while, because of this mystery, people are promoted to find out the truth. No matter Bigfoot is real or not, what undoubtedly is Bigfoot already became part of our lives and we are looking forward to see, a real Bigfoot.

Citation

Streufert, Steven. “Bigfoot in Humboldt County--Fifty Years or 50,000?”
BIGFOOT'S bLOG. 29 Dec. 2008. 7 Apr. 2009 <http://bigfootbooksblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/bigfoot-in-humboldt-county-fifty-years_29.html>
Zan, Jifang. “Hubei Bigfoot-Fact or Fiction?” Beijing Review. Arts & Culture. 17
Dec. 2007. 18 Apr. 2009.
<http://www.bjreview.com.cn/culture/txt/2007-12/17/content_90919.htm>
Regal, Brian. “Amateur versus professional: the search for Bigfoot.” Endeavour
Vol.32 No.2. ScienceDirect. 2008.p53-57. HSU Library, Arcata.18 Apr.
2009.
Path: Wildlife, ScienceDirect, Amateur versus professional: the search for Bigfoot.
“'Bigfoot' sighting in China.” CNN. Asia. 30 Jun.2003. 16 Apr.2009
<http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/east/06/30/china.bigfoot/>
Cosay, Bennett. “Bigfoot seen in vicinity of Christmas Tree Lake.” Fort Apache Scout. Whiteriver, Ariz. Vol.46 25 May 2007. p1-3. Ethnic NewsWatch. ProQuest. HSU Library, Arcata. 18 Apr. 2009. <http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.humboldt.edu/pqdweb?index=2&did=1289304571&SrchMode=2&sid=1&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1240025752&clientId=17853>

JINNA BIOGRAPHY:

Jinna Zou. I’m 20 years old Chinese exchange student of Xi’an International Studies University and Humboldt State University. My major in Humboldt is BA—International Business. I’m interested in painting and Chinese calligraphy, and sometimes play photography, I also like play basketball as well even I’m short. Moreover I can’t live without film and music. If you know Chinese, welcome to my space—http://jinna118.spaces.live.com/. Email: jinna118@hotmail.com