About 15 minutes outside of Kitimat lies Kitimaat Village, a native
community of about 600 people. On the night of September 18, 1998, Brent Robinson and
three other teenagers were sitting by the local soccer field talking and passing the time
away. The field is framed by a street running in an easterly direction that goes for about
three city blocks and lit by a dim street lamp. The teenagers were alerted to a loud
crunching sound in the gravel and when looking up saw a huge black shadowy figure that
appeared to be much larger than Brent’s brother, who is 6’2’’. When
asked how much larger the boy replied "like the size of the street posts" which
I later found out to be about 8 or 9 feet tall! Perhaps even more startling was the speed
at which the creature ran, although it appeared to be running with a limp, it ran
approximately 150 metres in an amazing show of speed. Its arms were straight out in front
of its chest and stayed in that position for the period seen. The witnesses were
astonished to see the creature appear around the bend the street takes and could clearly
see the figure in the dim light of the village store at the cross street at the end of the
field. The father of the boy told me the local children were not prone to fabricating
stories and were visibly shaken by the experience and that they refused to go out again
that night. I asked if the children sat out late at night often and the father assured me
there was no need to worry as the village was very safe and they did not have the same
problems that cities had. The father and son were both very sincere sounding; just
wondering what on earth it was they had seen. I asked if there had been any Sasquatch
reports in the area and he said he knew of a story of a man who had shot one. He passed on
the number of someone who knew the story better. I called and spoke to an elderly man,
Ken, who first asked me why I wanted to know. I was lucky, for it was this
gentleman’s grandfather who was reported to have done the shooting. The first thing
Ken told me was it irritated him how the story had changed over the years since it
happened. In particular, it disturbed him that people said his grandfather shot a
Boqwish(sp?) and that maybe this was an opportunity to tell it like it happened.
In the spring of 1918, William Hall was out
hunting for the family’s needs with his good friend. In this case he was bear hunting
8 miles west of Kemano in a small area known as Miskook(sp?) (in native language), a small
inlet on the Kemano River. His friend and himself were joined by an elder who’s job
was to wait in the canoe and watch the supplies. As William and his friend made their way
through the terrain they came upon a split in the valley, it was here where they separated
their ways. As the custom went, a wooden stake was pounded into the ground. Upon return,
the first hunter would remove it and lay it on the path to let the other know he had
safely arrived and to meet him down at the river’s edge. William, being the first
back, did so and started his way back to the waiting elder. It was here on a small trail
he came upon a group of four Sasquatch, or as known to the Kitimaat Indians, the Boqwish.
In absolute terror he started to run, but apparently blacked out. When he came to, he
found himself on a large rock. The four Boqwish were below, reaching out and attempting to
grab the startled hunter. In his own native tongue he spoke to them and said that he was
not there to harm them but only hunting for food for his family. It was at this time that
the aggressors seemed to back off, as if they understood. He made his way off the rock and
began back to the river’s edge where his partner had been waiting in the canoe. Along
the way the creatures continued to follow him to the river and now the waiting elder also
said, in his language, that they were not out to harm them. Again, seeming to understand,
they left. Upon getting into the canoe William Hall slipped into a coma that lasted 4
days. It was on the fifth day he awoke. It is well reported that accompanying the bigfoot
is a foul odour that fills the air whenever the creature is near. William had the same
rancid odor permeating his body until the day of his death, 8 years later. So bad was it
that he built a hut for himself to sleep in, so as not to offend his family. Since the day
he came out of the coma, Ken said "my grandfather could foresee the future". He
displayed other traits of a psychic nature as well.
One night around the fire, William gathered the
elders and chief to experience his newly acquired supernatural powers. He picked a
salmonberry branch that was bare of any leaf or fruit, as it was now the fall, and walked
past the chief who was seated. He displayed the branch and proceeded to walk around the
circle of hot coals and fire. After the first time around he again stopped in front of the
chief, this time displaying a freshly grown leaf, a second time around he displayed a
large bud that upon the third encompass of the fire yielded a full rose. On the final two
times around the elders he displayed an immature salmonberry and finally a large ripe
berry that he placed in the chief’s mouth
Perhaps the most stunning display of
William’s powers came when he warned his people of a snake-like creature with bugs on
it that would destroy their land. Twenty or so years later the ALCAN Project began. The
"snake-like creature" was believed to have been the winding black highway put in
and the "bugs" the many trucks that ride the road. His grandson also said
William Hall picked the day of his death.
I find this story amazing in that it came from
an offshoot of a hotline call regarding another matter. Had I not asked of any other
reports this story would have remained in the village to be passed on down over the years.
One wonders how many other villages and small towns have their share of amazing stories. I
have been told also that the Sasquatch or Boqwish legend continues on in this part of BC.
In Ursala Channel, just a few miles away, the spring air is punctuated by the sound of
yelping Sasquatch. What will it take to hear another story?
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