April 16, 2005

Norway House, Manitoba – Hundreds of residents of Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba are convinced the Bigfoot legend is real after a local man captured a strange creature on videotape. Ferry operator Bobby Clarke was taking a vehicle barge across the Nelson River at the northern end of Lake Winnipeg Saturday morning when he noticed something on the shore. He grabbed his camcorder and shot a 49-second clip of a tall, dark humanoid-like figure moving on the riverbank. "It's not a bear or human walking around," said Clarke's father-in-law, John Henry. "You can tell by the features." People who have seen the video say the figure is three metres tall and resembles past descriptions of the legendary shy, hairy giant long rumoured to inhabit remote woodlands in western parts of North America. "Couple of my friends and cousins have seen it, and some of them, first didn't believe in anything like that," said Joey Robertson. "When they seen the video, it convinced them." But local residents flocking to Clarke's house to see the video are now coming away disappointed. The Clarke family has stopped showing the videotape, saying they're arranging for an expert to enhance the video as they hold out for the best cash offer from a media agency. Offers have already come in from places ranging from Florida to Toronto, they say. Michelle Barrow, a Sasquatch researcher based near Fisher Branch, hasn't seen the tape, but she's confident the sighting really happened. Barrow says she has investigated many other sightings, and has found that most people don't make these claims lightly." I find that these people aren't looking for fame or fortune. They're just looking to unload this. You look at this person, and you see the sincerity in their eyes and in some cases, they're almost embarrassed to tell you," she says. "I have a general idea of who's telling the truth and who's not. For the most part, if anybody's going to open themselves up to being heckled and ridiculed, I really don't think they're going to come up with some kind of tale." Linda Queskekavow, one of Clarke's neighbours, says there's nothing to be worried about even if it turns out that Norway House is home to the legendary Bigfoot, also known by its Canadian name Sasquatch (meaning "wild man" or "hairy man" in the Salish language). "That Sasquatch is not harmful," said Queskekavow, who saw the videotape. "I think it's scared of people."