Folk memory, also known as
folklore or
myths, refers to past events that have been
passed orally from generation to generation. The events described by the memories may date back hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of years and often have a local significance. They may explain physical features in the local
environment, provide reasons for
cultural traditions or give
etymologies for the names of local places.
The Origin of Fire in the
Finnish national epic Kalevala, possibly originating to the meteorite impact resulting in
Kaali crater in
Estonia 4,000 – 7,600 years ago.[4]
Māori legends of a man-eating bird, known variously as the
Pouākai,
Hokioi, or
Hakawai are commonly believed to recount
Haast's eagle, a giant predatory bird that became extinct with the
moa only 600 years ago.[6] Opposing claims have been made that associate the Hokioi and Hakawai with the
extirpatedCoenocorypha snipe.[7]
Mapinguari legends of a giant sloth-like creature that corresponds with the
Megatherium, which has been extinct for 10,000 years.[8]
Legends throughout Eurasia describing creatures such as the
unicorn may have been based upon
Elasmotherium, a rhinoceros believed to have been extinct for up to 50,000 years.[original research?]
The
Ebu Gogo myths of the people of
Flores have been hypothesised to represent Homo floresiensis, which perhaps became extinct around 10,000 BCE (although the Flores Islanders hold that the Ebu Gogo remained alive 400 years ago).[13]
Legends from dozens of Native American tribes have been interpreted by some as indicative of
Woolly Mammoth.[17][18][19][20][21] One example is from the
Kaska tribe from northern
British Columbia; in 1917 an ethnologist recorded their tradition of: “A very large kind of animal which roamed the country a long time ago. It corresponded somewhat to white men's pictures of elephants. It was of huge size, in build like an elephant, had tusks, and was hairy. These animals were seen not so very long ago, it is said, generally singly, but none have been seen now for several generations. Indians come across their bones occasionally. The narrator said he and some others, a few years ago, came on a shoulder-blade... as wide as a table (about three feet).” However, the animal in this story was predatory and carnivorous, suggesting the memory of the proboscideans had become conflated with that of other megafauna, such as bears and
sabertooths.[22][23]
Even more so than is ordinary for the study of
history, the plausible historical connections listed above could be inaccurate due to the difficulty of piecing together
prehistoric or
preliterate fragments of evidence into a meaningful understanding. They must rely on more
speculation to fill in evidence gaps than would be acceptable in another context that provided more rigorous
verifiability of the records available.[citation needed]
^Roberts, Janine P., ed. (1975). Mapoon: The Cape York Aluminium Companies and the Native Peoples. Vol. 3. Fitzroy, Victoria: International Development Action. pp. 35–36.
ISBN0-9598588-4-9.
^Roberts, Janine P. (1981). From Massacres to Mining. Blackburn, Victoria: Dove Communications. p. 15.
ISBN0-85924-171-8.
^
abP.Vikers-Rich, J.M.Monaghan, R.F.Baird and T.H.Rich (eds) (1991)Vertebrate Palaeontology of Australasia. p.2. Pioneer Design Studio and Monash University.
ISBN0-909674-36-1.
^Scott, William Berryman (1887).
"American Elephant Myths". Scribner's Magazine. 1. New York: C. Scribner’s Sons: 474–476. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
^Records of the Past Exploration Society, “Pre-Indian Inhabitants of North America, Part II, Man and the Elephant and Mastodon”, Records of the Past, (Washington D.C.:
Records of the Past Exploration Society, 1907), 164, retrieved online October 2008 at books.google.com/books?id=7_HzBYM-7X4C
Folk memory, also known as
folklore or
myths, refers to past events that have been
passed orally from generation to generation. The events described by the memories may date back hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of years and often have a local significance. They may explain physical features in the local
environment, provide reasons for
cultural traditions or give
etymologies for the names of local places.
The Origin of Fire in the
Finnish national epic Kalevala, possibly originating to the meteorite impact resulting in
Kaali crater in
Estonia 4,000 – 7,600 years ago.[4]
Māori legends of a man-eating bird, known variously as the
Pouākai,
Hokioi, or
Hakawai are commonly believed to recount
Haast's eagle, a giant predatory bird that became extinct with the
moa only 600 years ago.[6] Opposing claims have been made that associate the Hokioi and Hakawai with the
extirpatedCoenocorypha snipe.[7]
Mapinguari legends of a giant sloth-like creature that corresponds with the
Megatherium, which has been extinct for 10,000 years.[8]
Legends throughout Eurasia describing creatures such as the
unicorn may have been based upon
Elasmotherium, a rhinoceros believed to have been extinct for up to 50,000 years.[original research?]
The
Ebu Gogo myths of the people of
Flores have been hypothesised to represent Homo floresiensis, which perhaps became extinct around 10,000 BCE (although the Flores Islanders hold that the Ebu Gogo remained alive 400 years ago).[13]
Legends from dozens of Native American tribes have been interpreted by some as indicative of
Woolly Mammoth.[17][18][19][20][21] One example is from the
Kaska tribe from northern
British Columbia; in 1917 an ethnologist recorded their tradition of: “A very large kind of animal which roamed the country a long time ago. It corresponded somewhat to white men's pictures of elephants. It was of huge size, in build like an elephant, had tusks, and was hairy. These animals were seen not so very long ago, it is said, generally singly, but none have been seen now for several generations. Indians come across their bones occasionally. The narrator said he and some others, a few years ago, came on a shoulder-blade... as wide as a table (about three feet).” However, the animal in this story was predatory and carnivorous, suggesting the memory of the proboscideans had become conflated with that of other megafauna, such as bears and
sabertooths.[22][23]
Even more so than is ordinary for the study of
history, the plausible historical connections listed above could be inaccurate due to the difficulty of piecing together
prehistoric or
preliterate fragments of evidence into a meaningful understanding. They must rely on more
speculation to fill in evidence gaps than would be acceptable in another context that provided more rigorous
verifiability of the records available.[citation needed]
^Roberts, Janine P., ed. (1975). Mapoon: The Cape York Aluminium Companies and the Native Peoples. Vol. 3. Fitzroy, Victoria: International Development Action. pp. 35–36.
ISBN0-9598588-4-9.
^Roberts, Janine P. (1981). From Massacres to Mining. Blackburn, Victoria: Dove Communications. p. 15.
ISBN0-85924-171-8.
^
abP.Vikers-Rich, J.M.Monaghan, R.F.Baird and T.H.Rich (eds) (1991)Vertebrate Palaeontology of Australasia. p.2. Pioneer Design Studio and Monash University.
ISBN0-909674-36-1.
^Scott, William Berryman (1887).
"American Elephant Myths". Scribner's Magazine. 1. New York: C. Scribner’s Sons: 474–476. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
^Records of the Past Exploration Society, “Pre-Indian Inhabitants of North America, Part II, Man and the Elephant and Mastodon”, Records of the Past, (Washington D.C.:
Records of the Past Exploration Society, 1907), 164, retrieved online October 2008 at books.google.com/books?id=7_HzBYM-7X4C