Yowie

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Yowie
Yowie-statue-Kilcoy-Queensland.JPG
Statue of a yowie in Kilcoy, Queensland, Australia
CountryAustralia
Region Great Dividing Range
Northern Territory
Australian Capital Territory
South Australia
Western Australia
New South Wales
Queensland
Victoria

The Yowie is one of several names for an Australian folklore entity that is reputed to live in the Outback. The creature has origins in Aboriginal oral history.

Contents

Etymology and Regional Names

Description and Reported Characteristics

Yaroma swallowing a man (1907 drawing) Notes on the Aborigines of New South Wales - Plate 7 A Yaroma rushed out and swallowed the Man.jpg
Yaroma swallowing a man (1907 drawing)

The Yowie is typically described as a bipedal, hairy, and ape-like creature, standing upright at between 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in) and 3.6 m (12 ft). [5] Reports of Yowie footprints describe them as significantly larger than a human's, [6] but alleged Yowie tracks are inconsistent in shape and toe number. [7] [8] The Yowie's nose is described as wide and flat. [9] [10]

Descriptions of the Yowie's behavior vary; some accounts depict the Yowie as timid and reclusive, while others suggest it can be violent or aggressive. [6] [11]

Origins of the term

The exact origin of the name "Yowie" in reference to Australian hominid legends is uncertain. The term was documented in 1875 among the Gamilaraay people by Rev. William Ridley in Kámilarói and Other Australian Languages, where "Yō-wī" [a] was described as a spirit that roams the earth at night. [13]

Some researchers suggest that the term arose through Aboriginal legends of the "Yahoo". Nineteenth century European accounts describe the creature and deem it the Yahoo, specifically the entery of Robert Holden, who described the it saying "The natives of Australia... believe in... [the] Yahoo." [14]

Another story about the terms origins come from an Aboriginal source. One account from Old Bungaree, a Gunedah elder, stating that the Yahoo was an ancient race that once inhabited Australia. He describes conflicts between Yahoos and Aboriginal people in an event called Dreamtime, claiming that the latter usually oveerpowered them, although the Yahoo is said to be a fast runner. [15]

Additionally, some scholars propose that the Yowie legend may have been influenced by European folklore. Possible sources for this claim include:

Historical Sightings

Early Reports (19th Century)

A 1987 column in The Sydney Morning Herald columnist Margaret Jones suggest that the first reported Yowie sighting in Australian occurred as early as 1795. [17]

By the 1850s, accounts of "Indigenous Apes" appeared in the Australian Town and Country Journal. The earliest account in November 1876 asked readers; "Who has not heard, from the earliest settlement of the colony, the blacks speaking of some unearthly animal or inhuman creature ... namely the Yahoo-Devil Devil, or hairy man of the wood ..." [18]

In 1882, amateur naturalist Henry James McCooey claimed to have seen an "indigenous ape" on the New South Wales south coast, between Batemans Bay and Ulladulla. He described the creature as tailless, covered in long black hair, with reddish fur around the throat and chest. He estimated its height at nearly five feet tall when standing upright and noted that its small, restless eyes were partially obscured by matted hair. McCooey claimed to have thrown a stone at the creature, prompting it to flee. [19] [20]

McCooey offered to capture an ape for the Australian Museum for a reward £40. According to researcher Robert Holden, a second outbreak of reported ape sightings appeared in 1912. [21]

The Yowie also appeared in Australina folklore and literature, including Donald Friend's Hillendiana, a collection of writings about the goldfields near Hill End, New South Wales, where it was described as species of bunyip. [22] Holden also cites the appearance of the Yowie's presence in a number of Australian tall stories in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. [23]

20 and 21st Century Sightings

Modern reports of the Yowie continue, often associated with crypozoology investigations.

One such case involved "Top End Yowie investigator" Andrew McGinn, the death and mutilation of a pet dog near Darwin could have been the result of an attack by the mythological Yowie. [24]

Regional Sightings

Northern Territory

In the late 1990s, several reports of Yowie sightings emerged in the area around Acacia Hills. [11]

New South Wales

Accounts of Yowie sightings in New South Wales include:

In the mid-1970s, the Queanbeyan Festival Board and 2CA offered a AU$200,000 reward for the capture and presentation of a Yowie. The reward remains unclaimed. [31] [32]

Queensland

The Springbrook region in south-east Queensland has had more Yowie reports than anywhere else in Australia. [10]

Australian Capital Territory

Prominent Yowie Researchers and Enthusiasts

Rex Gilroy

Since the mid-1970s, paranormal enthusiast and self-described cryptozoologist Rex Gilroy attempted to popularize the Yowie legend. [40] [41] [42] He claimed to have collected over 3,000 reports of Yowie encounters and theorized that they represented a relict population of extinct apes or early Homo species. [43] [44]

Rex Gilroy believed that the Yowie is related to the North American Bigfoot. [45] Along with his partner Heather Gilroy, he spent fifty years amassing his Yowie collection. [46]

Rex Gilroy died in April 2023. [47]

Tim the Yowie Man

Tim the Yowie Man is a published author who claims to have seen a Yowie in the Brindabella Ranges in 1994. [26] [48] Since then, Tim the Yowie Man has investigated Yowie sightings and other paranormal phenomena. [49]

He also writes a regular column in Australian newspapers The Canberra Times and The Sydney Morning Herald . In 2004, Tim the Yowie Man won a legal case against Cadbury, a popular British confectionery company. [50] Cadbury had claimed that his moniker was too similar to their range of Yowie confectionery. [51]

Gary Opit

ABC Local Radio wildlife programmer and environmental scientist. [52]

Skepticism and Alternate Theories

Graham Joyner’s Perspective

Australian historian Graham Joyner has extensively researched the "yahoo", also referred to as the hairy man, Australian ape, or Australian gorilla, which was a subject of various reports in the nineteenth century. Joyner compiled these accounts in his 1977 publication, The Hairy Man of South Eastern Australia, aiming to shed light on this phenomenon.

In his research, Joyner suggests that the contemporary concept of the Yowie may have emerged from a misunderstanding or conflation with earlier "yahoo" reports. He posits that the Yowie was relatively unknown before the mid-1970s and that its rise in popular culture could be linked to misinterpretations of historical accounts. [53]

Rex Gilroy’s Contributions

Since the mid-1970s, Rex Gilroy, a self-described cryptozoologist and naturalist, has been a prominent figure in popularizing the Yowie legend. He claimed to have collected over 3,000 reports of Yowie sightings and proposed that these creatures might represent a relict population of an extinct ape or Homo species.

Gilroy's efforts have significantly contributed to the Yowie's presence in Australian folklore and cryptozoology discussions.

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Healy & Cropper 2006.
  2. ↑ Joyner, Graham C. (1977). The Hairy Man of South Eastern Australia. G.C. Joyner. ISBN   0908127006.
  3. ↑ "Layers of significance – Reconciliation Place and the Acton Peninsula, Canberra". National Museum of Australia. 28 August 2009. Archived from the original on 13 August 2014.
  4. ↑ Healy & Cropper 2006, p. 6.
  5. ↑ Willis, Paul (13 June 2002). "Yowie". Catalyst. ABC Television. Archived from the original on 28 October 2013.
  6. 1 2 Gilroy, Rex (7 August 1980). "Why Yowies are Fair Dinkum". Australasian Post. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013.
  7. ↑ Clark 2012, p. 227.
  8. ↑ Emmer 2010, p. 83.
  9. 1 2 Healy, Samantha (2 May 2010). "New film needs beast of a man to be the next yowie". The Sunday mail. Queensland. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Tim the Yowie Man 2001, pp. 41–48.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Cunningham, Matt (21 April 2009). "Dog killed by Yowie". NT News. Archived from the original on 13 May 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  12. ↑ "Gaman guladha Gamilaraay, Yuwaalaraay, Yuwaalayaay".
  13. ↑ Ridley, William (1875). Kámilarói, and other Australian languages. Sydney, N.S.W., T. Richards, government printer. p. 138.
  14. ↑ "Superstitions of the Australian Aborigines:The Yahoo", Australian and New Zealand Monthly Magazine, 1 (2), February 1842, cited in Holden 2001 , p. 47
  15. ↑ Telfer, William (1980). The Wallabadah Manuscript: The Early History of the Northern District of New South Wales : Recollections of the Early Days. New South Wales University Press. p. 55. ISBN   978-0-86840-168-3.
  16. ↑ Holden 2001, pp. 39–49.
  17. ↑ Jones, Margaret (31 July 1987). "It's spot the yowie time again". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 15.
  18. ↑ "Milburn Creek", Australian Town and Country Journal: 811, 18 November 1876, cited in Holden 2001 , p. 70
  19. ↑ Campbell, Ian (9 December 2014). "Batemans Bay yowie sighting an Australian first". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015.
  20. ↑ M'Cooey, H.J. (9 December 1882), "The Naturalist: Australian Apes", Australian Town and Country Journal: 747, cited in Holden 2001 , pp. 75
  21. ↑ Holden 2001, p. 76.
  22. ↑ Friend, Donald (1915–1989) (1956). A collection of Hillendiana: comprising vast numbers of facts and a considerable amount of fiction concerning the goldfield of Hillend and environs. Sydney: Ure Smith.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  23. ↑ Holden 2001, pp. 77–79.
  24. ↑ "Yowie may have killed puppy". 9news.com.au. 21 April 2009. Archived from the original on 4 October 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2009.
  25. ↑ "Missing link sought in mystery". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 March 1977.
  26. 1 2 3 4 Lion, Patrick (4 June 2012). "Panthers, yowie men and a headless roo, the real X-files of New South Wales". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  27. ↑ Montgomery, JG (June 2014), WYRD–A Personal Journey into the Beliefs and Philosophies of the Known and Unknown, CFZ Press
  28. ↑ Corbett, Jeff (30 November 2010). "In search of yowies". Newcastle Herald. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  29. ↑ Shearer, Geoff (26 May 2012). "Animal Planet TV crew capture audio they believe proves existence of yowies". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  30. ↑ Brown, Jamie (15 June 2013). "Yowie sighted at Bexhill – witness asks to stay anonymous". The Northern Star. APN Australian Regional Media. Archived from the original on 19 August 2013.
  31. ↑ Tim the Yowie Man (20 September 2013). "Respect the lore". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 27 November 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  32. ↑ "Home-made 'Yowie'". The Canberra Times. 26 October 1976. p. 7. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013.
  33. ↑ Clark 2012, pp. 226–227.
  34. ↑ "Bill O'Chee becomes Brisbane Times blogger". Brisbane Times. 17 February 2014. Archived from the original on 17 March 2014.
  35. ↑ Gould, Joel (1 June 2013). "Legend of elusive yowie living on in Mulgowie". The Queensland Times. Queensland: APN Australian Regional Media. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013.
  36. ↑ Donaghey, Kathleen; O'Brien, Connor (19 October 2014). "New 'sightings' in Queensland of the mythical Yowie have sparked a spat between rival hunters". The Courier Mail.
  37. ↑ "Yowies: 'they're out there I've spoken with them'". The Gympie Times. 20 September 2014. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014.
  38. ↑ Patterson, Angelique (16 October 2014). "Port Douglas on yowie watch after close encounters with strange beasts". The Cairns Post. Archived from the original on 26 December 2014.
  39. ↑ Crick, Ritchie (26 September 2010). "The truth is out there". Sunday Herald Sun. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  40. ↑ Gilroy 2001.
  41. ↑ Bowen, Jill (15 December 1976), It's huge, hairy and from Cape York to Tasmania the monster Yowie prowls, The Australian Women's Weekly
  42. ↑ Healy & Cropper 2006, p. 13.
  43. ↑ Shuker, Karl P. N. (1995). "The Alien Zoo" . In search of prehistoric animals; Do giant extinct creatures still exist? (1 ed.). Blanchford. p.  189. ISBN   0-7137-2469-2. Rex Gilroy... collected over 3,000 sightings of a giant hairy creature sighted across the continent.
  44. ↑ Potts, Andrew (27 November 2012). "Yowie seeker, 68, has something to prove". GoldCoast.com.au. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  45. ↑ "The Search For Bigfoot: Is Bigfoot Real?". The Huffington Post. 12 April 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
  46. ↑ Rex Gilroy: Yowie Hunter, Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), 7 October 2013, retrieved 17 March 2014
  47. ↑ "The mysterious legacy of man who hunted ancient, rare and possibly mythical creatures", The Canberra Times, 13 April 2023, retrieved 16 September 2023
  48. ↑ Gould, Joel (1 June 2013). "Yowie not to blame for stock losses". The Queensland Times. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  49. ↑ "I was rugby-tackled by a Yowie, man claims". The Australian. 26 May 2009. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  50. ↑ "Tim the Yowie Man licks chocolate giant in court". The Canberra Times. 15 December 2004.
  51. ↑ "Yowie Man, chocolate maker go head-to-head". ABC Canberra. 14 September 2004. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013.
  52. ↑ Shorthouse, Janel; Gaffney, Annie (24 April 2014), Close encounter of the 'Yowie' kind, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, archived from the original on 24 April 2014
  53. ↑ Joyner, Graham Charles (2009), Monster, myth or lost marsupial? : the search for the Australian gorilla in the jungles of history, science and language, Canberra, ACT: Hayes UK & Thomas, ISBN   978-0-646-51637-0
  1. ↑ yawi in modern orthography [12]

References

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