Giants, Cannibals and Monsters: Bigfoot in Native Culture

Many stories involved fearsome creatures with supernatural powers. One of these creatures, now known as Bigfoot, passed beyond the realm of native lore and has become firmly entrenched in modern culture - for we too have seen this mysterious being.

For countless ages before Europeans set foot in North America, native people inhabited the vast arctic regions, forests, deserts, and plains. They lived off the bountiful land, and developed unique cultures with stories of their heroes and adventures that have been passed down through successive generations. Many stories involved fearsome creatures with supernatural powers, believed to wander the land in a shadowy existence somewhere between reality and the unknown.

One of these creatures, now known as Bigfoot, passed beyond the realm of native lore and has become firmly entrenched in modern culture - for we too have seen this mysterious being.

Kathy Moskowitz Strain, a professional archaeologist and anthropologist with the U.S. Forest Service in California, presents in this volume a collection of verbatim stories from 55 native cultures that tell of giants, cannibals, and monsters in North America. We are taken to the campfires where such stories have been repeated for thousands of years by native elders and warriors. The work has been skillfully arranged with native culture profiles and hundreds of photographs of the respective native people in their various walks of life. Above all, this book is an adventure into the inner circles of our aboriginal people. It provides a unique insight into a part of their mythology, values, and spirituality.

For those interested in this fascinating branch of human knowledge, this work is invaluable.

Kathy Moskowitz Strain received her B.A. in Anthropology (1990) and M.A. in Behavioral Science (emphasis Anthropology; 1994) from California State University, Bakersfield. She is currently the Forest Heritage Resource and Tribal Relations Programs Manager for the Stanislaus National Forest. Kathy has been a professional archaeologist/ anthropologist for 20 years, and has conducted research and fieldwork on Hairy Man for nearly as long. She lives in Sonora, California with her husband Bob, their children, Zackary and Jacob, and their four dogs and cats.