Sisimito

A bigfoot-like creature in Central and South American folkLore.

In Belizean and Honduran folklore, the Sisimito (alternatively called Sisimite, Sisimita, Sukara, and Itacayo) is a bipedal upright gorilla-like creature that possesses a head much like a human's with long hair or fur covering its body. It is also referred to as "the Mexican Bigfoot", though it is known in neighbouring countries Guatemala and Nicaragua.[1]

Description

The Sisimite is a humanoid creature with black or dark brown fur, described as much larger than an average person. It typically is said to have four fingers on each hand but no thumbs, ape-like facial features, and backward-facing feet with no knees.[1][2] It is said to have a huge force capable of breaking bones in one blow. Its name also differs from ethnic groups. For example, the Garifuna call it Sismidu. The name has no true English translation and it appears to have come from the Nahuatl word, Tzitzimitl. [?]

The legend has also changed in each society.

Honduras

According to Honduran legends, it is believed that the Sisimite targets and kidnaps human women. Upon falling in love with one, he will claim her as his own, and she will never again be seen.

The Honduran explorer and historian, Jesús Aguilar Paz (1895-1974), said that the Sisimite lives in the highest part of the Honduran mountains, more specifically in the inaccessible caverns found there. Aguilar also explains that the Sisimite feeds on the wild berries from the mountains and that it is not a carnivorous being or a hunter, however, it usually goes down to the village to kidnap women to take them to their cave and rape them. This union is believed to produce ape men.

Many people still comment with admiration on the amazing story of a woman who managed to escape from the cave where the Sisimite had taken her to. It is said that the monster, upon realizing her disappearance, chased the woman with their three human-ape children. She ran into a river and escaped by swimming across. On the other side of the river the Sisimite held the children they had procreated, hoping that she would change her mind, but the woman ran away and saw how the Sisimite, annoyed, threw his children into the river, never to resurface again.[3]

Belize

In Belizean legend, the Sisimite is said to also feast on humans. Furthermore, in Belizean societies, the belief is:

"If you are a man and you look at him in the eyes (and escaped), you will die within a month. If you are a woman and you look at him in the eyes (and escaped), your life will be prolonged."

Tales of the Sismite were told in the camps by the mahogany cutters of earlier days and are still passed along in villages like Ranchito and Hill Bank. The Sismite is said to live in high forest areas and lives in caves and on rocky land. In the Toledo District, forest areas have decreased over the years because of agricultural development and the Ketchi believe that Tzultacah, the thunder deities[4] who protects them from wild animals, has pulled the Sismite back into the few densely jungled areas remaining, so he is rarely seen today.

His diet consists of raw meat and fruits, and when feasting on human beings, he will tear the body into several pieces before devouring it. Though fierce and malevolent towards humans, he is afraid of water and dogs and will avoid them at all costs. He often assumes human form, lures people out of the village, and then kills them, and because of this, he is sometimes confused with Xtabay or La Llorona.

On Sundays and religious holidays, such as Good Friday, the Sisimite is believed to prey on hunters and other people who stray into the bushes. He follows human footprints, with his main purpose being either to kill his victims or to rip off their thumbs; he will also attack men who are killing animals needlessly or destroying the forest.

Outsmarting the Sisimite

According to beliefs, the Sisimite can be outsmarted due to its lack of intelligence, allowing its victim to escape being pursued.

  1. If one dances in a circle, the Sisimite will attempt to follow them. However, due to his backward-facing feet he would trip and fall.
  2. Having a dog by one's side is said to discourage the Sisimite from coming close.
  3. The Sisimite is said to be afraid of water, likely larger bodies like rivers or lakes.
  4. In other instances, making a path of footprints leading into a bush will cause the Sisimite to lose track of the prey and will begin to follow its own tracks thinking it is someone else's.
  5. The ultimate way to get rid of the Sisimite is to set fire to his long hair.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Bigfoot: Sisimite, El Duende, Dwendis, Honduros, Belize,". www.bigfootencounters.com. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  2. "El Sisimite - Nacer en Honduras". nacerenhonduras.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  3. "El Sisimite | Cuentos y Leyendas de Honduras". XplorHonduras Honduras (in Spanish). 2012-01-20. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  4. 2005, Graham Haddock: 1 June. "Mythical and Fantasy Creatures". www.mythcreatures.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-09-19.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. UNESCO. Characters & Caricatures in Belizean Folklore. Belize, Angelus Press Ltd: Belize UNESCO Commission. pp. 41–42.
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