The Great God Sasquatch
What does the public’s infatuation with the folkloric beast say about our views on modern society?
America is experiencing a period of anti-intellectualism, marked by growing mistrust of experts and institutions, and fueled by anxieties rooted in science and technology. At the same time, the cultural imagination has been captured by Sasquatch, better known as Bigfoot.
The folkloric creature's likeness and name have saturated nearly every level of culture today, appearing as yard ornaments, car decals, mascots and more.
Why has a woodland monster captured the hearts and minds of so many? Is there a link to be drawn between an embittered public and a mythological figure whose imagery has reached near-deification in cultural significance?
It Came From the Woods
Stories of Sasquatch-like creatures predate the European colonization of the Americas. According to Native-Languages.org: "The Bigfoot figure is common to the folklore of most Northwest Native American tribes. Native American Bigfoot legends usually describe the creatures as around 6-9 feet tall, very strong, hairy, uncivilized, and often foul-smelling, usually living in the woods and often foraging at night."
The website lists 24 tribes with names for the creature, such as Ba'wis, Tsimshian Indian Bigfoot; Maxemista, Cheyenne Indian Bigfoot; and Sasquatch, Coast Salish Indian Bigfoot. The Canadian Encyclopedia details that "Sasquatch" is thought to be an "Anglicization of the Salish word Sasq'ets, meaning 'wild man' or 'hairy man.'"
An 1884 article published in the British Colonist is regarded as the earliest documented evidence for Sasquatch. Per The Canadian Encyclopedia: "The article describes the capture of a 'half man and half beast' near Yale, BC. Nicknamed 'Jacko' it was described as 'something of a gorilla type' that resembled a human covered in thick, glossy black hair."
The Sasquatch we know today wouldn't come into focus until nearly 100 years later when Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin shot the famed Patterson–Gimlin film. The short 1967 film shows the purported creature walking along the bank of Bluff Creek in Northern California. It is often touted as the best piece of evidence for the existence of Sasquatch.
While the authenticity of the Patterson–Gimlin film has been long debated, there is no doubt it gave us the iconic Bigfoot imagery seen today in everything from knickknacks and decals to official mascots and Hollywood movies.
The Wild Everyman
When we look at the contemporary ways people understand and utilize Sasquatch imagery, it's inarguable that the creature has come to symbolize the wilderness. It holds shades of the classical wild man and contemporary character tropes.
A perfect example is the well-known Jack Link's "Messin' with Sasquatch" ad campaign, with Jack Link's target audience being hunters and outdoorsmen. As the article "Case Study: From Man Snack to the Mainstream, Via Media Relations" describes: "In 2006, the 'Messin' with Sasquatch' campaign was born. Rooted in TV advertising, it creatively demonstrated how Jack Link's lovers feel after devouring some of their favorite flavors and having a little prankster fun with the legendary Sasquatch."
Sasquatch’s ties to Native beliefs have helped cement its role as a symbol of the wilds of nature. There is a widespread view of Native cultures as being more in tune with nature, living harmoniously and free from the trappings of modern society. While elements of this romanticized recontextualization hold some truth, the notion as a whole lacks nuance, oversimplifying the complexities of Indigenous people's lives. This perspective often relies on the outdated trope of the "Noble Savage," which idealizes a lost primitivism as perfection. Yet, Sasquatch endures as a lingering symbol of this imagined, untamed era.
Jack Link's has quite deliberately tied into Sasquatch's symbology to market their product — whose slogan is "feed your wild side" — but what is being conveyed by the person who places a silhouetted cutout of the creature in their suburban front lawn?
Could this use of Sasquatch's image signal a yearning to return to some more primitive lifestyle?
Science and Engineering Indicator's 2024 report "Science and Technology: Public Perceptions, Awareness, and Information Sources" showed that while Americans' perception and trust of science and technology remains high, there have been some slips. Notably, 50 percent of Americans say science and technology make their lives change too quickly, "moving up from an average of 41% from 1995 to 2012 to an average of 50% from 2014 to 2022."
The report's conclusion states: "Americans' perceptions of science are not universally held, and at least some perceptions—such as trust in science and scientists—are associated with factors that vary between Americans such as comprehension of how professional scientific inquiry occurs."
A Pew Research Center article looking back at 20 years of shifting public opinion noted that during the COVID-19 pandemic, more people grew distrustful of "experts."
"Many Americans were dissatisfied with the communication they received about the pandemic from public health officials, and close to half thought officials were unprepared for the initial coronavirus outbreak in the United States. Most Americans still trust scientists to act in the public's best interest, but fewer say this now than in 2020, especially among Republicans," the article continues.
Additionally, the Pew Research Center report "Americans' Views of Technology Companies" found that most people favor the government regulating tech companies — with 51 percent believing companies should be more regulated than they are currently.
It is not a far stretch to say then that the increased use of Sasquatch imagery may reflect a growing apprehension towards science and technology's impact on people's lives. In this way, the Sasquatch placed in one's garden or affixed to the back of their car can be seen as a subtle indicator of discontent.
Furthermore, as the creature exists in both the realm of folklore and, as some argue, an actual undiscovered animal, Sasquatch occupies a space untouchable by science or technology. Even if the creature were to one day be proven real, it would only reinforce scientific skepticism as the scientific community has flatly denied the creature's plausibility. In this way, Bigfoot serves as a multilayered, symbolic rebuttal towards a world people are increasingly disillusioned with.
Thus, Sasquatch has become the de facto patron saint of nature and the possibilities of a world unburdened by the baggage of contemporary society — its imagery serving a similar role as traditional patron saint iconography, offering both a symbol of hope and a quiet form of resistance.
Enduring Enigmas
Sasquatch may not be a spiritual figure in the traditional sense. There is no organized religion in its name, nor do its followers wear charms or offer prayers. Yet its image is everywhere. Like all iconography, Sasquatch speaks for those who adopt it, whether consciously or subconsciously. Sometimes, the message is explicit, as in advertising campaigns. Other times, it's the quiet mark of a yearning for something beyond the constraints of modern life.
The enduring figure of Sasquatch reflects the collective longing for a simpler, untamed world, one deeply rooted in our cultural imagination. In many ways, Sasquatch embodies this tension — a symbol of mystery that thrives in a world where certainty often overshadows wonder.
While science and technology have undeniably improved countless aspects of modern life, the public's growing mistrust often stems not from science itself but from how it is communicated, misunderstood or misapplied. Sasquatch, in contrast, offers a story that is simple and compelling — a wild creature that exists outside the grasp of science, untamed and unknowable.
Perhaps the lesson from the Sasquatch's cultural growth is that what truly matters is not the tangible reality of something but the meaning it holds in the stories we tell about our lives. Today, half of Americans view science and technology as a force of acceleration and disruption, not something they enjoy.
If the tide of anti-intellectualism is to be turned, we must consider the enduring significance of folkloric figures like Sasquatch and why they resonate so deeply. Understanding these cultural symbols may offer a path to reconnecting people with the wonder, curiosity and meaning that science and technology should provide.
I feel another reason for our modern obsession with Sasquatch is that it symbolizes the rampaging loss of the natural world, consumed by an ever increasing encroachment of human civilization over what was once pristine habitat. Even the famous P-G film itself was shot over a terrain where the trees were all logged clear (which may have been the reason the creature was seen so clearly).
So there's perhaps this collective preoccupation that Sasquatch might go extinct before even being 'discovered' —that is, assuming we're dealing with an actual flesh and blood creature, which seems more and more doubtful each decade that passes without ever finding a damn body!
Really interesting!