Bigfoot: The Life and Times of a Legend

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Bigfoot: The Life and Times of a Legend
Bigfoot The Life and Times of a Legend.jpg
AuthorJoshua Blu Buhs
LanguageEnglish
SubjectsBigfoot
PublisherThe University of Chicago Press
Publication date
2009
Media typePrint (Hardcover)
Pages304
ISBN 978-0-226-07979-0

Bigfoot: The Life and Times of a Legend is a non-fiction book written by Joshua Blu Buhs and published in 2009 by the University of Chicago Press. [1] It explores the history of the concept of Bigfoot, discusses the exploits of its believers, as well as hoaxers, and examines the cultural influences that give the entity its staying power. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Overview

Bigfoot: The Life and Times of a Legend is an exploration of the history of Bigfoot (called Sasquatch in Canada), [5] and its counterparts, the Abominable Snowman and Yeti, with a focus on stories from the American Pacific Northwest. [6] [7] Buhs maintains that Bigfoot does not actually inhabit the forests, but, is "real" in the sense that the stories told about the creature are "part of the American cultural landscape". [8] [9] [10]

Buhs contends that Bigfoot is a construct of popular imagination representing a "tradition of the wild man" that "allowed white working-class men" to hold onto traditional, masculine roles while societal changes (feminism and civil rights) in the 1960s and 1970s "challenged their assumptions about society". [11] Although Bigfoot has its roots in European and Asian fairy tales, [5] and sightings of "giant figures with long reddish hair" were reported in the 1920s. [5] Buhs claims Bigfoot stories in men's adventure magazines, like Argosy, True, and Saga, [7] as well as "mockumentary" movies shown in makeshift movie theaters called "four-wallers" in 1970s rural America helped give shape to Bigfoot and secure its place in popular culture. [9] Bigfoot became symbolic of the changes these men feared and way of connection with (or escaping into) the wilderness. [12]

Buhs provides a historical accounting of Bigfoot encounters, including purported sightings and abductions. [13] He surveys the physical evidence collected and photographed (footprints, tufts of fur, droppings), [13] and introduces readers to such devotees of Bigfoot as Rene Dahinden, [3] Roger Patterson, [3] [5] Ray Wallace, [5] John R. Napier, [14] Albert Ostman, [14] P.T. Barnum, [14] Grover Krantz, [5] Ivan Sanderson, [6] and others who researched, looked for, and, in some cases, faked Bigfoot sightings or exploited the idea of Bigfoot for their own gain. [14]

Buhs also outlines how the commercialization of Bigfoot, through the sale of commercial products (B-movies, T-shirts, TV shows, whiskey advertisements), transformed Bigfoot, once feared, into a creature to be ridiculed. Environmentalism, Buhs posits, changed Bigfoot into a gentle giant. [10] By the mid-1970s, Bigfoot research had dissolved into "exposed hoaxes, arrogant and premature proclamations of conclusive evidence, and vindictive infighting." [4]

Reception

Reviewers of Bigfoot: The Life and Times of a Legend found the book, overall, to be an entertaining account of Bigfoot that lead to "interesting places". [4] [5] [10]

Buhs' attempt at telling an historical account of an imaginary creature, for some reviewers, was problematic. [10] Folklorist Jennifer Attebury argued that although Buhs used "excellent secondary sources" and solid primary sources, the exploration of Bigfoot might better be described as "fakelore." She suggested that the book might have benefited from theoretical frameworks provided by contemporary folkloristics. [7]

Still other reviewers [3] [4] [13] [14] found Buhs' characterization of Bigfoot as reflecting the hopes, fears and desires of white working-class men "a bit of a stretch". [14] Paul Lucier wrote in his review, "Buhs is sympathetic to the Bigfooters, and he tries to restrain any prejudgments, but in the end he cannot help but explode each incident and, perhaps unintentionally, show up the Bigfooters as either fools or frauds". [10] In his review, Benjamin Radford wrote that Buhs characterized skeptics as "routinely ridiculing" the subject of Bigfoot, and suggested that prominent skeptical Bigfoot researchers, like Michael Dennett, treated the subject and its claimants with respect. [4]

Some members of the Bigfoot community received the book less than enthusiastically, calling it a literary fraud. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bigfoot</span> Mythical human or ape-like creature in North American folklore

Bigfoot, also commonly referred to as Sasquatch, is a large and hairy human-like mythical creature alleged by some to inhabit forests in North America, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. Bigfoot is featured in both American and Canadian folklore, and since the mid-20th century has grown into a cultural icon, permeating popular culture and becoming the subject of its own distinct subculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patterson–Gimlin film</span> Alleged film of Bigfoot

The Patterson–Gimlin film is an American short motion picture of an unidentified subject that the filmmakers have said was a Bigfoot. The footage was shot in 1967 in Northern California, and has since been subjected to many attempts to authenticate or debunk it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urban legend</span> Form of modern folklore

Urban legends is a genre of folklore concerning stories about an unusual or humorous event that many people believe to be true but largely are not.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skunk ape</span> Southeastern United States cryptid

The skunk ape is a large and hairy human-like mythical creature purported to inhabit the forests and swamps in the southeastern United States, most notably in Florida. It is often compared to, synonymous with, or called the "cousin" of Bigfoot, a prominent subject within North American popular culture.

Grover Sanders Krantz was an American anthropologist and cryptozoologist; he was one of few scientists not only to research Bigfoot, but also to express his belief in the animal's existence. Throughout his professional career, Krantz authored more than 60 academic articles and 10 books on human evolution, and conducted field research in Europe, China, and Java.

The Skookum cast is a plaster cast showing the imprint of what appears to be a large animal. It was discovered in a muddy wallow near Mount Adams in the southern part of Washington state in the year 2000. Enthusiasts have argued that the imprint may have been made by the mythical creature, Bigfoot, though scientific analysis says it was most likely an imprint of an elk. Scholars and academics consider Bigfoot, and alleged evidence, to be a combination of folklore, misidentification, and hoax rather than a living animal.

John Willison Green was a Canadian journalist and a leading researcher of the Bigfoot phenomenon. He was a graduate of both the University of British Columbia and Columbia University and compiled a database of more than 3,000 sighting and track reports.

The Minnesota Iceman is a sideshow exhibit and elaborate hoax that depicts a fake man-like creature frozen in a block of ice. It was displayed at shopping malls, state fairs, and carnivals in the United States and Canada in the 1960s and early 1970s and promoted as the "missing link" between man and Neanderthals. It was sold on eBay in 2013 and put on display in Austin, Texas.

<i>Harry and the Hendersons</i> 1987 film by William Dear

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In Arkansas folklore, the Fouke Monster, also known as the Boggy Creek Monster and the Swamp Stalker, is purported to be an ape-like creature, similar to descriptions of Bigfoot, that was allegedly sighted in the rural town of Fouke, Arkansas during the early 1970s. The creature was alleged to have attacked a local family. It has since become a part of Arkansas folklore. It has also influenced local culture in Fouke, with some businesses capitalizing on the local lore. Stories of the creature influenced the 1972 docudrama horror film The Legend of Boggy Creek, which became the 11th highest-grossing film of 1972 and is today considered to be a cult classic.

John Russell Napier, MRCS, LRCP, D.Sc. was a British primatologist, paleoanthropologist, and physician, who is notable for his work with Homo habilis and OH 7, as well as on human and primate hands/feet. During his life he was widely considered a leading authority on primate taxonomy, but is perhaps most famous to the general public for his research on Bigfoot.

John Albert Bindernagel was a wildlife biologist who sought evidence for Sasquatch since 1963.

Raymond L. Wallace was an American amateur Bigfoot hoaxer.

Bigfoot is an alleged human or ape-like cryptid in North America. Since the mid-20th century, Bigfoot has become increasingly relevant in popular culture and is the subject of film, television, advertising, music, literature and more.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boris Porshnev</span> Soviet historian (1905–1972)

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<i>Sasquatch, the Legend of Bigfoot</i> 1976 American film

Sasquatch, also known as Sasquatch, the Legend of Bigfoot, is a 1976 American pseudo-documentary horror film directed by Ed Ragozzino and starring George Lauris, Steve Boergadine, and Jim Bradford. It follows a group of explorers on a summer-long search for the mythical Bigfoot creature. It was distributed by North American Film Productions, Oregon Ltd., at the height of public fascination with accounts and tales of Bigfoot sightings.

The Jacko hoax was a Canadian newspaper story about a gorilla supposedly caught near Yale, British Columbia in 1884. The story, titled "What is it?, A strange creature captured above Yale. A British Columbia Gorilla", appeared in the British Columbia newspaper the Daily Colonist on July 4, 1884. The original newspaper article describes "Jacko" as a gorilla and not a Sasquatch. However, the "Jacko" story has been used by Bigfoot advocates as evidence for the existence of Sasquatch. Many books about Bigfoot and cryptids have featured the event and cite the original newspaper article. In 2008 Michael Cremo discussed the story as possible proof for the existence of Sasquatch. The "Jacko" story was featured on the A&E television documentary series Ancient Mysteries about Bigfoot, season 4, episode 18 narrated by Leonard Nimoy. The story was also mentioned on the Bigfoot episode of the television series In Search of..., season 1, episode 5, also narrated by Nimoy. The Jacko story was mentioned in a 1976 documentary called The Mysterious Monsters.

Albert Ostman was a Canadian prospector who reported that he was abducted by a Sasquatch and held captive for six days. He stated that the event took place near Toba Inlet, British Columbia in 1924.

Rick Dyer is an American Bigfoot enthusiast known for perpetrating hoaxes surrounding the subject. Texas Monthly has called Dyer "the world's most infamous Bigfoot hunter."

References

  1. ↑ Pierleoni, Allen (June 1, 2009). "Between the Lines: True stories, and good ones". McClatchy-Tribune News. Washington.
  2. ↑ "Bigfoot: The Life and Times of a Legend". Publishers Weekly. March 2, 2009. p. 53. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Laskin, David (May 2, 2009). "Tracking Sasquatch Lore, Sizeable zeal is always afoot". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. p. C.1. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Radford, Benjamin (March–April 2010). "Bigfoot Beliefs in Cultural Context". Skeptical Inquirer. 34 (2): 59–60.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hoare, Philip (June 21, 2009). "Bigfoot: The Life and Times of a Legend by Joshua Blu Buhs:review". The Sunday Telegraph. London. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  6. 1 2 Ayoub, Nina C. (April 24, 2009). "Bawdy and the Beast". The Chronicle of Higher Education. 55 (33). Washington, D.C.: 18. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 Attebery, Jennifer (November 10, 2010). "The Life and Times of a Legend". Journal of Folklore Research. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University, Bloomington. Archived from the original on 12 September 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  8. ↑ Pevere, Geoff (May 9, 2013). "Where did Bigfoot go?". Toronto Star. Toronto, ONT, Canada. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 Paulson, Steve (July 25, 2010). "Joshua Blu Buhs on Bigfoot". To The Best of Our Knowledge. Wisconsin Public Radio. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Lucier, Paul (March 2010). "Review". Isis. 101 (1). The University of Chicago Press on behalf of The History of Science Society: 250–251. doi:10.1086/653905. JSTOR   10.1086/653905.
  11. ↑ Dixler, Elsa (October 31, 2010). "Paperback Row". New York Times Book Review. p. 24.
  12. ↑ Kozlowski, Lori (July 12, 2009). "Jacket Copy; In search of Bigfoot, not that he exists". Los Angeles Times. Lost Angeles, CA. p. E.2.
  13. 1 2 3 Williams, Florence (June 7, 2009). "Be Very Afraid". New York Times Book Review. p. BR.19. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kirchhoff, H.J. (August 13, 2009). "Big story, big dreams". The Globe and Mail. Toronto, ONT, Canada. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
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