Comments on: Messages From The Rez

By: Jeremy_Wells

Jeremy_Wells — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 21:19:44 +0000

At what point though is self-censorship counter-productive to conversation?

Personally I come from a Christian tradition that I believe in whole-heartedly. But in an academic context (and in my own word choice) the biblical creation story and the scientific view of the Big Bang are both “creation myths”.

It doesn’t matter which I personally subscribe to, both are myths in that they are stories used to attempt to explain the unexplainable within a certain culture or sub-culture.

I’ll be the first to say ‘respect local beliefs’ and ‘don’t make fun of local dialect or speech patterns,’ etc., lest you lose the real meat of a story. (Heck, I’m from eastern Kentucky, I know all about having your opinions dismissed simply because you speek with a drawl.)

But we can’t let ourselves be intimidated into not discussing a subject simply because someone may be offended or confused by the use of proper nomenclature.

By: mystery_man

mystery_man — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 14:57:09 +0000

Yes, I see where you’re coming from. That is a good thing to keep in mind. I agree. We should be careful with what we say and how we say it for there are many ways of looking at things. I respect these beliefs but perhaps I look at them with too much the scientific eye and in the process may say something that comes across the wrong way. I tell ya, I read great comments and ideas on here everyday and my way of thinking is always evolving. Thanks for giving us something to think about, Mnynames.

By: Mnynames

Mnynames — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 12:53:57 +0000

Mystery Man, I think most of us here are approaching this from the same perspective, and in no way wished to suggest that we were not being respectful. What I wished to point out, however, was that the words we use may needlessly alienate those who would better serve us as allies.

Let us not forget, though, that the flip side of my previous statement must also be true- those same people should respect our viewpoints too, even if they disagree with them. Where this gets us into difficulty is the outsider factor- what right have we to make a judgement on something we’ve never experienced, in a place we’ve never been? It behooves us to be cautious with our words.

As I said, it’s a thin, thin line, and everybody crosses it at some time or another.

By: mystery_man

mystery_man — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 08:22:27 +0000

I have the utmost respect for different myths of different cultures. I presently live in Japan and there are many myths and legends, realities, whatever you want to call them, that I have the sincerest respect for. My approach to this as a cryptozoological phenomena and a biological explanation is in no way a disrespect to those myths. One might believe in a lot of miraculous things, but do those things have a basis in cryptozoology? Not necessarily. This is not to say their myth or reality is bad or wrong, but I am looking at this Pine Ridge phenomena as a living creature, this is why I am discussing it in this forum.

By: Sky King

Sky King — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 23:41:35 +0000

Mnynames, you are absolutely right: Indian beliefs are not “myths”. They may constitute a different reality, but they are NOT “myths” or “superstitions”.

My religious tradition, Bön, also recognizes a myriad of spirit beings. Ever had problems with a naga, a water spirit that is mischievous and sometimes downright dangerous? I have.

By: Tyler

Tyler — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 18:39:03 +0000

If this was a ’squatch, and if the police did corner it with vehicles and lights, that may be the last they’ll see of it for a while.

PS - my own shoulders are higher than a 4×4 SUV’s headlights. The subject would not have to be 12-15 feet tall to accomplish that.

By: lastensugle

lastensugle — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 14:59:58 +0000

Though I have alot of respect for native american culture, I have a hard time seeing sasquatch as anything other than flesh and bone.

By: Mnynames

Mnynames — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 14:46:17 +0000

be careful, guys. One man’s myth is another man’s reality. You have to tread a fine line to avoid needlessly offending someone. Is Ummok’s post a bit hostile? Yes, but wouldn’t you be if a bunch of people a thousand miles away kept calling everything you believe in a myth, and finding alternate interpretations of what you and your neighbours are saying?

When I talk about myth, and I’ve got the impression that a lot of other people here do this too, I’m not necessarily referring to the veracity of the story in question, but the belief or belief system itself, regardless of its claims to reality. I suppose that’s a common mode of speech for scientists and scholars, armchair or otherwise. In my experience though, most people equate myth with falsehood, and take it quite personal when you call their beliefs myths, because to them you’re saying that they can’t be true.

Just food for thought…

By: mystery_man

mystery_man — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 07:02:30 +0000

Well, this talk of spirits and such is certainly putting this out into the realm of the paranormal. If this is the case , it would take its place among myths and legends, not as a subject of cryptozoology. But something is going on there, these police officers are trained to be observant and analytical of these kinds of sightings. I am really quite curious as to what exactly is going on over there at Pine Ridge.

By: crypto_randz

crypto_randz — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 01:58:19 +0000

First of all they claim they see bigfoot then they claim they shot the poor creature they steal the body bring it to an undisclosed location, now they claim its a spirit of some kind, obviously a nice collabarated hoax i must say, i will believe it when i see a photo, only if its a CLEAR photo.