"Sasquatch´n" is a 2017 Canadian documentary about Bigfoot observations from a Native (American Indian) angle. It supposedly reveals previously secret Native knowledge or lore about the elusive beast. I´m not sure if that´s true, though. I previously reviewed J Robert Alley´s book "Raincoast Sasquatch", which contains material about D´sonoqua and other Bigfoot-like creatures from West Coast Native folklore. (Or perhaps our modern idea of Bigfoot is D´sonoqua-like, at least broadly?) Apart from Native informers, the documentary also features the late John Bindernagel, one of the few scientists who took the Bigfoot phenomenon seriously.
The Natives unapologetically describe D´sonoqua and similar creatures as both physical and paranormal at the same time, using our definitions of those terms. The split between flesh-and-blood cryptozoologists and paranormal researchers would be incomprehensible to them. Above all, "Bigfoot" has been part of Native culture in British Columbia and other parts of western North America since time immemorial, as witnessed by petroglyphs, ceremonial masks and secret shamanic societies. The Natives interviewed (from the Namgis nations, among others) consider meeting "Bigfoot" to be a blessing, even if the encounter itself can be extremely scary. Interestingly, some nations consider the creature to be female (albeit with a small male companion), while others claim its male.
The supernatural aspect includes "portals" in certain rock formations through which the creature is said to enter and leave our reality, but its not clear whether this is needed at all, since it´s also described as a shape-shifter that is impossible to catch even in "our" world. The creature is also said to protect Nature from Man, but the Natives interviewed seem to suggest the opposite: that it really protects *humans* from the wrath of animals!
Which brings me to the annoying last ten minutes of "Sasquatch´n", which is modern eco-warrior stuff pure and simple, complete with an apocalyptic angle, according to which Mother Earth is preparing to cleanse itself of humans, with the numerous Bigfoot sightings being some kind of warning. We are admonished to follow the Native way of life, which supposedly means balance with Nature. Yeah, if you regard overhunting, overfishing, and voluntarily participating in the White man´s fur trade "balance", I suppose you could argue that the Natives lived in "balance" with Gaia. Sorry, but I´m not buying this kind of noble savage romanticism! Still, I suppose there *would* be more "balance" if human population levels would crash to Paleolithic levels...
That being said, "Sasquatch´n" could nevertheless be of some interest, if the interface between cryptozoology, mythology and the paranormal is your thing.
No comments:
Post a Comment