Sasquatch Chronicles Blog

A listener writes “Hey Wes, I love your show and listen to it all the time. Ever since I was a kid, the thought of not knowning all that’s out there was always intrigued me. It can be in the realm physics, mathematics, space, cryptozoology and so on. The stuff just fascinates me and let’s my creative juices run wild.

I always had a fascination with Sasquatch. Maybe it’s from being born in the PNW or who knows. I never had an encounter that I know of. I say that because I have lived in the Philippines close to a jungle and some weird stuff happened. Same with living close to the woods in Virginia. Knocks, sounds and strange dreams that kinda mix into waking hours.

I am also Filipino. My folks immigrated from the Philippines through enlisting in the U.S. Navy, hence being born in Bremerton, Washington State, close to Pugent Sound.

Anyways, the main point of this email is to let you know there is a Filipino mythical creature called the “kapre”. Have you heard of this? It’s a giant hominid that hangs out in trees and is muscular, dark and 7 to 9 feet tall. You can sense it when you feel you are “being watched” or if you smell it’s cigar like odor. Strange huh? It’s amazing how the whole world seems to have a belief in the bigfoot or mystery hominid. Something is out there and it is smart enough to hide from us, the deadliest of the lot.

Keep doing the good work!”

Kapre is a Philippine mythical creature that could be characterized as a tree giant. It is described as being a tall (7 to 9 ft), big, black, hairy, muscular creature. Kapres are normally described as having a strong smell that would attract human attention. The term kapre comes from the Arabic “kafir”, meaning a non-believer in Islam. The early Arabs and the Moors used it to refer to the non-Muslim people. The term was later brought to the Philippines by the Spanish who had previous contact with the Moors. Some historians speculate that the legend was propagated by the Spanish to prevent Filipinos from assisting any escaped African slaves they sometimes imported from Latin-America. The Kapre itself holds a large Cigar, an item which originated from the ancient Mayans of Latin-America. The similar dark skin color of escaped African slaves from Latin America have caused the former to be equated with the latter.

Natural habitat and attire
Kapres are said to dwell in big trees like acacias, mangoes, bamboo and banyan (known in the Philippines as balete). It is also mostly seen sitting under those trees. The Kapre is said to wear the indigenous Northern Philippine loincloth known as bahag, and according to some, often wears a belt which gives the kapre the ability to be invisible to humans. In some versions, the kapre is supposed to hold a magical white stone, a little smaller in size than a quail egg. Should any person happen to obtain this stone, the kapre could grant wishes.

Behavior
Kapres are believed to be nocturnal and omnivorous. They are not necessarily considered to be evil. Unlike the Aswang, it does not eat humans or their unborn fetuses. However, it may turn vengeful when the tree that they are inhabiting is cut down.

Kapres may make contact with people to offer friendship, or if it is attracted to a woman. If a Kapre befriends any human, especially because of love, the Kapre will consistently follow its “love interest” throughout life. Also, if one is a friend of the Kapre then that person will have the ability to see it and if they were to sit on it then any other person would be able to see the huge entity.

Kapres, also called agtà, are said to play pranks on people, frequently making travelers become disoriented and lose their way in the mountains or in the woods. They are also believed to have the ability to confuse people even in their own familiar surroundings; for instance, someone who forgets that they are in their own garden or home is said to have been tricked by a Kapre. Reports of experiencing Kapre enchantment include that of witnessing rustling tree branches, even if the wind is not strong. Some more examples would be hearing loud laughter coming from an unseen being, witnessing lots of smoke from the top of a tree, seeing big red glaring eyes during night time from a tree, as well as actually seeing a Kapre walking in forested areas. It is also believed that abundant fireflies in woody areas are the embers from the Kapre’s lit Cigars or Tobacco pipe.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapre