Star Buks in BC

Bella Coola, BC has about 600 residents and sits at the western end of the Bella Coola Valley.  The Valley  includes Bella Coola proper, Lower Bella Coola, Hagensborg, Saloompt,Nusatsum, Firvale and Stuie bringing the total valley population to about 1900.  It would seem that one of the residents is a Sasquatch.

Once populated solely by the Nuxalk people until the arrival of Alexander MacKenzie in 1793.  Not many non-natives came to the region until about 1890 when the Norwegian Lutherans were given land grants and moved north from Minnesota.  Small pox had already taken most of the Noxalks by then, but the survivors remained and even now almost half of the population identifies as Aboriginal.   Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC)  estimates total Nuxalk population of  about 1400 with 900 of those living on the Nuxalk reserve in the valley.  According to traditional Nuxalk government, the true Nuxalk population is closer to 3,000, and includes people of Nuxalk ancestry who are not registered or may be registered to another "Indian Band."

The Nuxalk had a resident they named "Buks" or "Sniniq" and like other First Nations culture Bigfoot stories, are well documented in books by Dr. Tad McIlwraith.  Dr McIlwraith is a cultural anthropologist who researches and teaches at Douglas College in BC.  Cryptozoologist John Green has also visited Bella Coola and gathered reports from the 1940's, 50's and 60's.  Local Elders share thier stories of Buks and Dr John Bindernagle researched this valley as well.

Just over a month ago, local resident Obie Mack saw huge muddy footprints crossing the street in front of his home.  He called his son to take photos and make a plaster mold.  The footprint mold is 17 inches and others are said to have photographed the footprints. 

One complication to the story is that author Andrew Robson, who descends from the original settlers of the valley, is about to release a new book.  "Sasquatch Revelations of Bella Coola" is a compilaltion of local stories and is set to be available next month.  The timing is suspicious, but at this point there is no solid evidence the sighting and cast are a hoax or that Mr. Robson is in any way connected, aside from his ancestral ties to the area.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bella_Coola,_British_Columbia

http://www.coastmountainnews.com/news/198842361.html

http://www.tadmcilwraith.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bindernagel

http://www.sasquatchrevelations.com

What is Normal?

More and more often, wild animals are turning up in Canadian cities.  Recently Toronto has developed a coyote problem.  Calgary has had rampant coyotes, porcupines, and even badgers within the city limits for a long time. Peregrine Falcons are more plentiful in the city than they are in the wild as we endeavor to repopulate the declining numbers. Many Canadians have found bears, deer, and even an occasional moose in their yard.  If the definition of “Cryptozoological” still includes animals showing up where they are not supposed to be, this is a problem.  A coyote kill in Scarborough is no longer unusual.

Circus animals, zoo animals and pets often roam among us as well.  Domesticated animals that are something other than dogs and cats turn up from time to time in odd places.  Again, it happens so often now that it is no longer Fortean.  Seeing a monkey in the local Ikea barely raises an eyebrow these days.  The stray peacock in Victoria is likely from a nearby farm.  How does a cryptozoologist know what is “unusual”?

The short answer is research.  It isn’t difficult to find out what is commonly or even occasionally loose in metro areas.  One or two phone calls to a local zoo or animal services will likely tell you all you need to know.  Too many new researchers or hobbyists are quick to jump on the Crypto bandwagon over something as simple as a lone alpaca.

Sometimes, though, really strange things show up.  A fully grown alligator in any Canadian waters would be worth grabbing your gear and heading down to document.  The big cats, when you are sure they are not cougars, bobcats or lynx, do occasionally make an appearance in Canada and a witness report should be investigated.  A word of caution with the big cats though—just because someone sees a “black panther” doesn’t make it odd.  There have been documented black cougars in Canada.  The best reports however come from the world of the really bizarre.  Lake  monsters are always a popular subject, especially between May and November when there are more people on the water and the lakes are not frozen.  Sasquatch is still rampant of course.

What really piques our Crypto interests around these parts are the sightings of high strangeness.  Reports of “little people”, those who look like gnomes or leprechauns, surface at least once a year.  Sometimes these are reported to ghost groups.  Sometimes the UFO researchers get wind of little creatures that appear somewhat human.  Each group can rightfully claim them as nobody really knows yet what they are.  Certainly, however, anything that seems biological requires serious inquiry by cryptozoologists.  Unfortunately, some elitist researchers discard these reports out of hand, marking them “other worldly” or even “psychic phenomena”.    Who’s to say an elf isn’t simply a living creature?

The prevalence of native lore in Canadian culture is sometimes a deterrent to the study.  Most tribes include the idea of a shape shifter, and perhaps that may explain some of the elusive beings.  European cultures bring their religious belief in the existence of demons and explain away hooved creatures as such.  If a report makes it to a Cryptozoologist, and prints are evident, it is a good idea to investigate even the “demon” as something biological and Fortean.  What a huge event proving the existence of satyr-like beings would be!

Canadian Cryptozoologists need not limit their studies to hairy men and scaly serpents.  Reports of those in some areas are few and far between.  If you want to keep busy with Canadian fieldwork, you’re going to have to think outside the Crypto-normal.

http://greenanswers.com/q/135864/animals-wildlife/habitat/what-big-cats-are-native-north-america

http://marystreetschool.tripod.com/canadian_native_wild_animals.htm

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/ikea-monkey

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/02/14/toronto_police_too_quick_to_shoot_coyote_in_downtown_neighbourhood_hume.html