Information AboutEbu Gogo |
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| hominid cryptids | |
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In one language of Central Flores, the name means "grandmother who eats anything" (or possibly "grandmother glutton") from the words ''ebu'' "grandmother" and ''gogo'' "(s)he who eats anything". The legends relating to the Ebu Gogo were traditionally, according to Nature journal, attibuted to Monkeys which don't exist on Flores but were known on other islands from where current Flores population comes. They are somewhat detailed and, like Hawaii 's Menehune s, Scandinavia 's Tomtar and Dwarfs , they may represent a Folk Memory of the island's previous inhabitants who were supplanted by the current population. Or, they may represent a Supernatural understanding of the islanders' deceased Ancestor s, along the lines of the Taotao Mona of Guam . However, no particular Magical or Mystical ability is attributed to the Ebu Gogo. It is held by the people of Flores that the Ebu Gogo were alive at the time of the arrival of Dutch trading ships some 300 Year s ago, and some hold that they survived as recently as 100 years ago but are now no longer seen. The discovery in 2003 on Flores of remains of a meter-tall Hominid , '' Homo Floresiensis '', suggests a more literal interpretation of the Ebu Gogo stories. ''H. floresiensis'' survived at least until 13,000 years ago and probably survived longer. Scientists suspect it was extirpated by a Volcan ic eruption around 12,000 years ago, before the first evidence of '' Homo Sapiens '' on Flores 11,000 years ago. However, the date of extinction of ''H. floresiensis'' is unknown. It is questionable whether the folk memory of a people can record any clear or accurate details for a time on the order of 10,000 years, but a folk memory lasting a shorter time is plausible. Thus no one knows whether the Ebu Gogo stories describe the real hominids or are similar to other "little people" stories, which are found among almost all peoples throughout the world. Cryptozoologist Loren Coleman relates the tales of the Ebu Gogo to other "Proto-Pygmy" sightings from throughout south Asia. Within hominology, Coleman links these traditions to the survival of small, hairy hominoids, as noted in his book The Field Guide To Bigfoot And Other Mystery Primates (NY: Anomalist Books, 2006), coauthored with Patrick Huyghe. The book's cover is illustrated with a drawing of the Ebu Gogo. Archaeologist s are planning further investigations of Flores, including Cave s where the Ebu Gogo are said to have lived recently, and thus may shed light on this question. An article in ''New Scientist'', Vol 186 No 2504, gives the following account of folklore on Flores surrounding the ebu gogo: " The Nage people of central Flores tell how, some 300 years ago, villagers disposed of the ebu gogo by tricking them into accepting gifts of palm fibre to make clothes. When the ebu gogo took the fibre into their cave, the villagers threw in a firebrand to set it alight. The story goes that all the occupants were killed, except perhaps for one pair, who fled into the deepest forest, and whose descendants may be living there still." The article goes on to say that such tales are common in Indonesia, according to anthropologist Gregory Forth . There are also legends about the ebu gogo kidnapping human children, hoping to learn from them how to cook. The children always easily outwit the ebu gogo in the tales. A children's story ''Ebu Gogo: Tales of Mini-Man'' has even been written which recounts the tale of how the Ebu Gogo may have interacted with the humans 18,000 years ago. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS |