Revisiting the Yowie from an Aboriginal perspective

I have blogged on this story before, but believe it deserve's revisiting.

The Yowie is a mythical creature in folklore and legend - it is the Australian equivilent to Bigfoot.

Most of the research you will find on the web that has allowed us to understand the history of this creature has been done by people like Rex Gilroy, Dean Harrison, Healey and Cropper et al. Without their research it would be an enigma to most of the population. Their research shows that the phenomenon was very real to the pre-colonial Aboriginal tribes, was widespread throughout Australia and was well known to early settlers in Australia. (For more information go to Amazon and buy Healey and Cropper's 'The Yowie' which is the best book to date on this subject and has a list of historical sightings including my own circa 1982).

I have always been interested in this subject since the day 28 odd years ago when myself and a ten year girl who would become my wife in 1995 saw a very large, very hairy, man-like creature watching us as we played games on an isolated street at the very top of Bowen Mt, an area that has nothing behind it but the Grose Valley until you hit the towns of the Blue Mountains on the other side just over twenty Kilometres away as the crow flies.

That sighting caused me a great deal of fear and trepidation every time I walked in the bush from that point onwards and I understand why there is a need for websites and investigators to answer questions for those experiencing the anxiety associated with discovering that something like that exists and is in proximity to humans.

But I wanted to know more....and to do that I went to Eden to speak to Aboriginal elders about what they thought the Yowie was. And I'm glad I did.

To them, in their own words 'the Doolagahl (Yowie) is as real as any other creature in the bush. As real as a Kangaroo or any animal'.

In our discussion, they elaborated on a number of facts and issues including:

- It is rare for a 'white fella' to see one from an Aboriginal perspective.

- There are two types, small one's who live in caves near the coast, and big one's that live on mountains and in hinterland.

- The one's that lived on mountains were greatly feared and were avoided at all costs. When the tribe had to camp near a known spot, a fire was used to keep them away and they hastily made their way out of the area the next morning.

- They are so real that in World War 2, the army tried to forcibly remove them from a logging area near Eden as their presence was fearful and disruptive to the booming logging industry.

It is a very interesting subject. But there is a rule which I feel we need to follow which I'll leave you with in the last paragraph.

Firstly, what is my opinion on the Yowie? I'm a firm believer. I have a number of theories on what they are which are fluid and ever changing - I'll never know. But my own encounter, the many recorded sightings and the Aboriginal perspective at least help me understand that it is a tangible if infrequent reality.

Secondly, after hearing two researchers on two different continents share with me the same story wthin days (and they had never met) which basically was "I was following one (or I was in the presence of one/many) and a voice came inside my head saying 'Leave us alone, we want nothing to do with people' my only firm opinion is live and let live. Whatever they are, I believe that even when encountered they should be left alone and any reporting done confidentially. I have breached this many times in the early days of research, being caught up in the hype, but now I have come to the conclusion that if something wishes to be left alone and has the ability to communicate that, the we need to respect that from now on.

God made many things in this universe...and we have just gleaned the surface of understanding in many area's. This is but one.

But next time you meet an Aboriginal elder, respectfully ask them about their opinion on the Yowie and see what you get and whether you take the investigative or respectful position.

God bless you - Pastor Baz.