NCS Case File #2: Skunk ape and Sasquatch in Florida and Michigan

The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word cryptid as “An animal whose existence or survival is disputed or unsubstantiated, such as the yeti.” For the following witnesses to living cryptids, there is no dispute. In this series of National Cryptid Society’s case files, you will read what the witnesses have experienced in their own words.

Keep an open mind when reading these accounts, and also remember one’s perception and memory of an event can be influenced by the emotions felt at the time of the occurrence. The contributors to this series of articles are doing the best they can to recount what are in some cases very shocking and traumatic experiences.

If you have a personal cryptid sighting story you would like to tell us, our contact information is at the bottom of this article.

NCS Case File #2: Skunk ape and Sasquatch in Florida and Michigan

Submitted by Andrew

“Well to begin I get my native American blood from my mother’s side, her mother was full blooded Chippewa although they didn’t talk much about [it] so I sought out elders when I was in my early twenties. When I was about 12 years old mom and dad got divorced and we moved to Florida where my mother’s half sisters lived… While visiting my aunt Caroline who lived in a little town called Osprey 15 miles south of Sarasota which is on the western coast of Florida south of Tampa is where I saw a skunk ape.

My mom and my aunt were talking so I decided to take a walk as I love nature. I headed for a wooded area. I had to cross a cow pasture to get to the woods about half way across the pasture is when I saw this hairy man like creature standing next to a palmedo bush just staring at me… that is all I remember because the next thing I know I’m walking on the street in front of my aunt’s house. I never told anyone until years later.

Again in my twenties at my Dads house in Michigan there was a summer of strange events. Something was breathing outside my window so loud it woke me out of a sound sleep. My step mother confided in me she saw a tall hairy man run across the back yard at night. My dad had two different events where something was making a high pitched noise and slapped the side of the trailer. My uncle who lived across the street said one night he heard what sounded like to grown men wrestling in the woods behind his house.

During this time one of my elders had asked my dad if he and a couple friends could build a sweat lodge on my dad’s 15 acres. My dad said yes so they came out to do the ceremony. It was a year later and they hadn’t built the lodge, so I went to [the elders] and asked if something was wrong. One of them said ‘it didn’t feel right.’

I decided to tell them about the weird experiences which had stopped after they did ceremony on my dad’s land. All they said that it was “unchee” which meant Bigfoot. They explained he shows up when things are out of balance to remind people to live in a good way to restore balance. Later I learned about putting down tobacco when entering the woods in their territory and asking permission to pass through. It is said that they will guide you and protect you although you will not know they are there usually.

The Bigfoot is also known as “kitchie sabe” and it is taught they brought honesty to the people.”