On Bigfoot's trail
By JOHN HOLLAND
jholl...@modbee.com
last updated: December 28, 2008 06:00:00 AM
Kathy Moskowitz Strain has written a book, ‘Giants, Cannibals, and
Monsters: Bigfoot in Native Culture,’ and gives lectures about the
subject. Strain has many American Indian baskets and a wood sculpture
of bigfoot at her Jamestown home. (Debbie Noda/The Modesto Bee) - -
In her day job as an archaeologist, Kathy Moskowitz Strain looks for
traces of people who dwelt long ago in the Stanislaus National Forest.
At night and on weekends, she searches for something else: Bigfoot.
The legendary creature has fascinated Strain since she was a girl. The
40-year-old Jamestown resident has looked for Bigfoot evidence in
Tuolumne County and beyond, and she has documented sightings by other
people.
"Footprints, plus the traditional Native American stories about
Bigfoot, have convinced me that something is out there," she said.
Strain has spoken at Bigfoot conferences around the country and
appeared on "MonsterQuest" on the History Channel.
She has just written a book that combines her interests in Bigfoot and
Native Americans. The book, "Giants, Cannibals & Monsters: Bigfoot in
Native Culture," has more than 150 stories from the Arctic to Florida.
Strain, a Porterville native, has bachelor's and master's degrees from
California State University, Bakersfield. She is married to Bob
Strain, a retired Folsom firefighter, and has two sons, Zackary, 16,
and Jacob, 11.
Q: How did you get interested in Bigfoot?
A: When I was a little girl, I saw "Legend of Boggy Creek" (a 1972
film) and became fascinated with the mystery. I later asked my teacher
what I would have to do to study Bigfoot for a living, and she
suggested anthropology, so that is what I did. However, I quickly
learned that I couldn't study Bigfoot for a living, so I work for the
Forest Service by day and search for Bigfoot on my free time.
Q. What kinds of sightings have you documented?
A: I have interviewed hundreds of witnesses about their experiences of
seeing either a Bigfoot or his large footprints in the woods. The
sightings have ranged from up-close experiences to those that took
place several hundred yards away. My favorite sightings are those that
describe Bigfoot looking for food.
Q: Have you seen Bigfoot yourself?
A: I have never seen a Bigfoot myself, but my husband has.
Q:. How do you look for Bigfoot?
A: During the day, we spend a good deal of time driving the dirt
forest roads, looking for footprints or other items of interest. We do
a lot of mapping, taking notes and taking videos and photos of the
location. Often, we stop at the local stores and see if anything
unusual has been reported. After nightfall, we build a large fire and
cook a fragrant dinner. We usually begin call blasting (recorded
Bigfoot-like sounds) starting at 8 or 9 and blast on the hour, every
hour. Throughout the evening, we conduct our experiments and record
the responses.
Q: How many Bigfoots might there be in Tuolumne County and North
America?
A: Some researchers have estimated as much as 2,000 throughout North
America, and I would guess that is pretty close. In Tuolumne County,
I'm guessing, there may be as many as 10 to 15.
Q: Describe your job for the forest.
A: I am the heritage resource and tribal relations program manager.
The heritage part of the job deals with the forestwide management of
prehistoric, ethnographic and historic sites. Under tribal relations,
my job is to make sure that the forest is upholding our trust
responsibilities with our local tribes and native people.
Q: Does your Bigfoot work ever intersect with your forest job?
A: I don't "Bigfoot" on government time, but being an archaeologist/
anthropologist has helped me apply scientific methods and tools to my
Bigfoot studies. It also allows me to interact with Native Americans
and record their traditional cultural beliefs of this animal.
Q: Do people take your research seriously?
A: I think so. Most of the time, people will ask me lots of questions
and are interested in where the best place to go to see one is.
Q: Why are people fascinated by Bigfoot?
A: I think in today's society, with so much technology and pressures
on our time, it's nice to think that there is still something left out
there for us to discover -- something still wild and free.
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