(ORDO NEWS) — These giants have been described as vicious, unfriendly, and cannibalistic. Despite their modest numbers, the si-te-ka posed a serious threat to the Paiutes, who were beginning to gain a foothold in the area.
The Paiutes, a Native American tribe inhabiting part of Nevada, have a story about their ancestors and a race of red-haired, white giants that they told to the early white settlers of the area.
These colossal beings are described as “Si-Te-Kash”. Sarah Winnemucca Hopkins, daughter of a Paiute Indian chief, documented the story in her book Life Among the Paiutes: Their Errors and Claims, published in 1882.
These “giants” have been described as vicious, unfriendly, and cannibalistic. Despite their modest numbers, the si-te-ka posed a serious threat to the Paiutes, who were beginning to gain a foothold in the area.
Legend has it that a great battle took place. The Paiutes cornered the giants and forced them down into the tunnel system, covering the entrance with foliage and setting it on fire with flaming arrows, causing them to disappear into a place known as Lovelock Cave.
Modern historians and anthropologists do not consider this story to be fiction and allegorical myth, but some argue that archaeological evidence suggests otherwise.
In the early 20th century, archaeologists discovered thousands of items inside this cave, prompting lengthy excavations and speculation that the Paiute legend was true.
Lovelock Cave in Nevada first came to the attention of archaeologists in 1924, thirteen years after miners began harvesting the bat guano that grew on its bottom. Dried bat guano has traditionally been a natural fertilizer for use in organic gardening.
The miners continued to dig until sifting through the ancient relics inside, under the top layer of bat guano, became too much of a hassle. As soon as they learned of their discoveries, they reported it to the University of California and excavations began.
Approximately 10,000 archaeological specimens have been found, including tools, bones, baskets and weapons. According to the report, 60 large mummies were found.
Duck lures some of the oldest preserved feathers in the world and a sandal over 15 inches long have been unearthed. A donut-shaped stone with 365 notches carved on the outside and 52 matching holes on the inside was found, which some scholars believe is a calendar.
Interestingly, radiocarbon dating from subsequent visits revealed plant material dating to 2030 BCE, a human femur dating to 1450 BCE, human muscle tissue dating to 1420 BCE, and wicker items dating back to 1218 BC.
From this, archaeologists have concluded that the settlement of Lovelock Cave by people of this culture began in 1500 BC.
Modern anthropologists refer to the people who lived in the Lovelock Cave area as a culture that lasted about 3,000 years. Many archaeologists believe that the Northern Paiutes replaced the Lovelock culture.
There is a long dispute about the veracity of the claims made about the Lovelock giants. During the first excavations, reports were received of the mummified remains of two red-haired giants – one woman was 6.5 feet tall, the other man was over 8 feet.
Today, most of the non-human artifacts found in Lovelock Cave can be found in local museums or at the UC Berkeley Museum. However, these mysterious bones and mummies are not easy to find.
Some believe that the artifacts themselves prove that an advanced culture did exist before the Paiute Indians, but whether the legend of the red-haired giants of Lovelock is historically accurate remains unknown to this day.
Skeptics argue that the chemical staining of the ground after burial is likely the reason why the mummified remains have red hair instead of the black hair of most Indians in the area.
In addition, a study conducted at the University of Nevada showed that the “giants” were about six feet tall, and not up to 8 feet, as previously claimed.
If you want to see these mummies with your own eyes, you will be refused. In one museum they will tell you that they are in another, and vice versa, and so on.
Initially, miners and excavators claimed that several mummies (partial and whole) were found, but nowadays all you can see for sure is one jawbone and one irregularly shaped skull. One of the skulls is kept at the Humboldt County Museum in Winnemucca.
We may never know if the mummies from Lovelock Cave existed or were intentionally hidden. Existing artifacts seem to support the Paiute legend, and evidence of gigantism has been found and documented in various parts of the world.
With the exception of the giant mummies themselves, the Lovelock Cave claim seems to have all the necessary pieces of that puzzle.
All evidence was buried in secret vaults so that humanity would not notice the mistakes of modern history.
—
Online:
Contact us: [email protected]
Our Standards, Terms of Use: Standard Terms And Conditions.