Nespelem, Washington, c. 1670 – A Nespelem native who disappeared while hunting with a group about one year ago was found today at about the same spot he had been last seen. When approached, he was simply standing with his arms folded and his eyes staring straight ahead as if in a trance. By his side was a dog that had been trained to bark once in warning and then to remain silent.
Upon regaining his senses, the native told of being captured and held prisoner by a group of hairy giants. He stated that he was not physically harmed by the creatures, and shared their food and cedar bark shelters almost as an equal. He described his captors as hunters of great physical prowess, able to scamper up steep slopes or to shoulder heavy loads of game. Although not allowed to go hunting with them, he was allowed to travel around the mountains at night.
He said they used whistling noises to communicate while hunting or on the move. Apparently, the creatures also possess some sort of hypnotic powers as he stated they put him into a trance before taking him to the spot where he was found. The dog by his side was a gift.
Source: Marvin Barham, 1970. “Nespelem Woman Knows Legend. Has She Heard
Sasquatch?” The Wenatchee Daily Word, Washington, USA, February 6, 1970 from
an interview with Isabel Arcasa, a Nespelem woman, who recalled the story which
was passed to her by her mother. She put the story at, “some 300 years ago.
