“Big Foot is a creature of camouflage and um lives in the mountains.  He is a big, white, furry creature that lives in the snow. He comes out and eats people when he gets angry.  I first um heard about Big Foot when I was going skiing with my family.  They told me to watch out for Big Foot, because if I wandered off he would eat me.  He also has big feet.”
She heard this legend from her family when she was about 6 or 7 years old.  She thinks it’s significance is not to wander off when you are in the snow.  The mountains can be a dangerous place when you are skiing and if no one warns you to stay close you can fall into the lightly packed snow or get lost in the forest.

Under the context that my informant heard this folklore I understand that the story is meant to scare children from wandering off on their own.  Since her and her family are originally from Costa Rica and to my knowledge there is no skiing in the country, perhaps her parents picked up the story from earlier ski trips where other families told the tale.  There does not seem to be anything significant from her heritage in this story, so this is probably an example of folklore that has spread but has not yet been made into an oicotype in her native land.

“Big Foot lives in the wilderness and preys on lost children and hikers to sustain his life. He also preys on animals, but he doesn’t really enjoy the taste. Some also believe he is an extra-terrestrial awaiting the rescue mission at the end of the Mayan calendar, in the year 2012.”
Jordan heard this story from his Uncle while he was on a camping trip.  He said that his uncle is very superstitious and that not just Big Foot, but many other creatures will be rescued in the year 2012.  When I asked Jordan if he believed in the prophecy of the Mayan calendar he said no, but his uncle does.  The Mayan Calendar predicts that the Earth will end at the completion of a long countdown cycle in the year 2012.

Like other big foot stories described this story seems to indicate that Big Foot will eat naughty children who wander away from their parents.  This story places big foot in the wilderness and since Jordan and his uncle are from Russia which is full of forests; Big Foot’s habitat may reflect their original nation.

“Ah the legend of Big Foot.  Big foot’s habitat is forest region north of the 55th parallel in North America.  This animal is a cross between a human, a bear, and a gorilla… possesses enormous strength and is shy around humans and does not wish to be seen.  Big foot is primarily a vegetarian but in times of need he can be carnivorous.  The big foots are both genders but the males are more vicious.  I think we need to recognize the big foot species as an endangered species. Global warming is endangering its habitat.”
This informant stated that he believes in big foot and that he heard the legend from an attorney friend of his.  He shows great concern for the habitat of the big foot species and believes that man is ruining its environment.  He is unsure how the story of big foot came about or what the significance of this story is, although he is sure the animal would be possible to train if we ever caged one.

Since this story was shared between lawyers, perhaps the note that humans are ruining the animal’s environment is an oicotype specific to lawyers.  Perhaps the friend was an environmental lawyer who sees things from an endangered species perspective.  This story could be a lesson that humans need to be more environmentally conscience so that we can keep seemingly mythical creatures around.  This story makes the big foot seem more docile than other versions since it says that the animal is shy and mostly vegetarian, making it out to be more of a victim in the story.  However, although the story states that it resides in North America, its description includes a gorilla which is definitely not native to that region.  Perhaps the lawyer friend heard this story from someone in Africa and the description of big foot took on part of other culture.