The Oldest Recorded Sasquatch Sighting (Skræling)

A Viking Foray

According to some accounts, the oldest known sighting of a Bigfoot or Sasquatch in "The New World" was recorded by none other than Leif Erikson, or Erik the Red. Erikkson referred to "ugly, hairy men" with great black eyes" who towered over himself and his fellow Norsemen. The name he gave them was "Skræling."

While others insist this description refers to the Thule people, a pre-Inuit peoples who lived in the regions where Ericson and his men are said to have landed, including Canada, some note the inclusion of the word "hairy" as indicative of a different species. The Norse Vikings were, after all, very hairy -- they are most often depicted with great beards and matted hair, themselves.

Perhaps even more intriguing is the connection between the use of the word, Skræling, and the existence of pygmies, possibly throughout the globe. The Vikings were known to grow quite tall themselves, in addition to being hirsute; to many peoples, they would be hairy and towering figures.

As History repeats itself, we are continually finding out that our ancestors knew far more about the world than even we do today, and that many of the "facts" we thought we knew are erroneous.

While the Skræling of which Erik the Red spoke may have been nothing more than the indigenous American peoples of their time, the connection to countless descriptions of Bigfoot seem to cloud the issue.

© The Weirding, 2016

New Pics of Ancient, Uncontacted Peruvian Tribe Driven into Brazil by Illegal Construction and Logging

Ancient Peruvian Tribe Driven to Brazil by Illegal Loggers

A human rights organization released pictures of a previously uncontacted Peruvian tribe on Monday to heighten awareness of logging laws in the country. The organization warns that the tribe is likely to come into conflict with other tribes fleeing their homes, as well as the vicious loggers themselves, as loggers illegally encroach on their territories.

Human rights activists and organizations have pushed Peru for tighter logging regulations for years, yet the country has done little to nothing... but illegally sell more Amazon tribes' lands to shitbag construction companies protected by paramilitary organizations like TigerSwan, SIS, and Raytheon.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011

New Ancient Hominid Found?

Researchers believe a new hominid -- human-like ancestor -- has been discovered. The bones of what appear to be an adult female and juvenile male, possibly mother and son, were found in South Africa, not far from Johannesburg. The remains are around 2 million years old, and appear to have died at the same time, or soon after one another. The hominid has been named Australopithecus sediba. "Sediba" is Sesotho, the language spoken in South Africa, for "fountain"

Some believe they are the remains of a previously unknown hominid, representing the bridge between, "an ape that walks on two legs to, effectively, us." Others disagree, as the precise placement of the A. sediba remains in Man's history is proving controversial. The hominid reportedly has a mixture of ancient and modern features, such as smaller teeth and an advanced pelvis, but long arms and a small brain.

Experts say the remains were found on top of others, none of which appear to have been scavenged, suggesting they were entombed... quickly.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Nicaragua's Crazy Sickness

In 2008, there were 65 reported cases of Grisi Siknis, which translates from Miskito language to "crazy sickness," or "jungle madness." Those suffering it turn to local healers -- people we refer to as "mystics" and "witchdoctors" -- because Western medicine has no idea how to treat it. Yes, "Grisi Siknis" is apparently a very real medical malady.

The affliction dates back to the 1850s and originally only affected the Miskito. Recently, however, the illness has presented itself in those of Spanish descent. Also called Grisi Munaia and Nil Siknis, the Crazy Sickness is what Western medicine refers to as "culture-bound," meaning it is limited to those of a specific culture or region -- in this case, the Miskito people.

Culture-bound illnesses are very real, though their treatment is specious, at best. While most Western doctors consider it unethical to provide the victims folk treatment, as they believe themselves to be deceiving the patient, it logically follows that culture-bound illnesses should be susceptible to culture-bound remedies. But now, it appears the affliction is spreading outside the cultural sphere which is believed to have created it, perhaps elevating it to an actual form of mental illness.

Furthermore, Grisi Siknis spreads in outbreaks. While culture-bound illnesses are known to be "contagious." Western psychology prefers to apply the term, "mass hysteria." Mass hysteria is also known as Collective Obsessional Behavior, which is far more apt. So far this year, there have been 46 reported cases. As a local doctor, and ardent researcher of the malaise, says, "If an attack is not contained quickly, it can spread throughout an entire community."

The most common symptoms are hallucinations in which the sufferer believes he is being attacked or sexually molested by The Devil of Christian mythology; severe anxiety, nausea, and dizziness; irrational fear and anger; and periods of frenzy during which the victim often runs away.

Western medicine and procedures seem to have no effect, but local mystics' rites and potions often cure the afflicted. Of course, if the Grisi Siknis is, in fact, societal in nature, then what else would cure it but culturally-bound procedures such as those provided by local witchdoctors?

Western science continues to scratch its collective ass head.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Our Drunken Ancestors

A US team under the leadership of the Professor of Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania, Patrick McGovern, used organic compounds and cutting-edge science to determine that liquid recovered from a vase some 5000 years old contained alcohol.  The container was excavated from Egyptian tombs dating back to around 3150BC.  They are the earliest jars, or amphora, discovered so far containing liquid.

Professor McGovern said the findings prove that our ancestors were using trial and error to develop medicinal concoctions, and that alcohol was a key ingredient in their treatments.  Other ingredients in the liquid are known medicinal components, including herbs and tree barks.  McGovern notes that alcoholic brews would have been particularly well-suited for dissolving these ingredients.

The professor is now collaborating with a team at the University of Pennsylvania's Abramson Cancer Center in testing the oldest alcoholic beverage in existence -- liquid found in China which dates back to around 7000BC.  He is hoping to recreate some of the compounds.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Patagonian Tribe's Last Stand

The Chilean Indian tribe, the Patagonia, is years away from being extinct. While the Patagonia tribe once thrived in the remote Patagonia region of South America, there are only an estimated 12 - 20, full-blooded tribe members left. "It ends with our generation," a member of the Kawesqar tribe said.

As with many remote tribes similar to this one, respiratory illness contracted from contact with Europeans has wiped them out. The first outbreak occurred in the 1800s, with another in the 1940s. The youngest full-blooded members of the Kawesqar tribe are in their 40s and one of them already married outside the tribe. A leading authority estimates around 200 descendants of mixed Kawesqarian heritage. Soon, not only will their culture disappear, but their language as well.

However, some descendants have willingly relocated, noting the isolation, silence, and lack of modern necessities, such as education and medical treatment.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Monkeys from Mars

During the height of the UFO craze in 1950's America, a butcher and two barbers pulled a hoax that garnered national attention:

Edward Watters, Tom Wilson, and Arnold Payne secured a monkey's carcass, shaved it, dyed it green, and cut off its tail.  They then used a blowtorch to scorch a ring in the middle of a local highway and left the body there.  They reported seeing a "large, red saucer" in the middle of the road, surrounded by 2'-tall creatures, and that they had hit one with their truck.

A police officer took the bizarre report on July 7, 1953, and within hours, the Decatur, GA, police station was flooded with phonecalls from all manner of bureaus and investigative agencies, including the Air Force.

But the founder of the local GBI office, Dr. Herman Jones, and an anthropology professor from Emory, Dr. Marion Hines, unraveled the mystery within hours.  By then, the story had made national headlines.  While the men were fined a modest sum for obstructing a roadway, Dr. Jones was credited for bringing forensic science to the Southern state of Georgia.

You can see the monkey, along with many other oddities, at the Decatur, GA Bureau of Investigation mini-museum -- by appointment only.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Performance Artist Noted

Hillary Carlip found her first discarded grocery list at 15. To her, it was an inspired insight into someone else's life -- someone she had never met nor would likely ever know if she did. 

So she made him up!

Carlip got so good at creating entire characters from the discarded grocery lists she collects that she took them to the stage, where she would walk across it, reciting the lists in character. She then wrote a book, for which she assembled wardrobe and enlisted the help of a make-up artist friend, and illustrated it with pictures of herself as the characters. A la Cart: The Secret Lives of Grocery Shoppers contained essays and other errata, which further developed the characters -- one even had an eHarmony profile which Carlip says gets responses to this day.

She is now in talks to bring her act to TV.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Possible Missing Links Found in Dmanisi, Georgia

A team of researchers working in Dmanisi, Georgia uncovered the remains of four human-like creatures dating back to about 1.8 million years. The bones possess both primitive and advanced features, leading them to think they may be some kind of missing link and among some of the first human ancestors. Many of the features resemble Homo Erectus, with human-like spines and lower limbs and high arches, but a difference in size between the genders places them in the Homo Sapien realm.

However, their relatively small brains and short upper limbs place them in the Homo habilis species, as well as the even more primitive Australopithicus -- the most famous specimen of which is "Lucy." Researchers found that they had ape-like hands and their proportions were not completely human-like.

They believe these may be the oldest remains found at any site more than 300,000 years old.