Cryptids are creatures/animals commonly found in folklore and in anecdotal accounts, which are often unexplainable in science. Some popular ones include the Loch Ness monster(also shown in Scooby Do!) and the Bhootbilli Its study is called cryptozoology and is considered a pseudo-science because of its dubious nature. Their existence persists despite all odds because they hold cultural currency through narratives that travel intergenerationally. In accounts, they are often placed in locations that are easy enough to relate to and identify but difficult to venture into. This creates a sense of mystique around the place of the narrative, forcing the listeners of the stories to draw connections about the setting as well as produce affect towards it. Such emotional connection and mystique transform a space into a place. Exploring these ecosystems, coupled with the reasoning that gave birth to the narrative, allows one to gain insight into the relationships between folklore and the desire for discovery.
Fierce like a tiger but with a face similar to a dog', the Neelagiri Kaduva is a cryptid from the regions in South India. It is reddish brown with faded black stripes that make it distinct from the other species common in the area. Locally, it is also called the Patti-Kaduva/Puli(dog tiger). In narratives and otherwise, they are portrayed to have nocturnal behaviors and, like tigers, are lone hunters. To substantiate the narratives around the Patti-Puli, it is set in the dense uncharted forestial lands with rugged terrains, misty airs, and herculean trees allowing for the perfect backdrop for an animal like the Kaduva to remain hidden and exclusive in the wilderness for generations—a plausible location for the creature. The communities in the surrounding areas traditionally venture into the forest in groups, driven by the mystique and caution inspired by the dense wilderness where the Kaduva is said to roam.
Nilgiris that the locals living there attach to it—of undiscovered lands where nature still holds power and keeps secrets. This produces a sense of respect and fear among the locals, which is the above-mentioned effect. This keeps the cryptid, the stories, and thus the culture of the region alive. Despite its discovery, its past as a cryptid still holds value as it displays how the people of Nilgiris see and internalize their surroundings, that determine how they interact with it in the future.
A similar cryptid is the Yeti which is said to be a large two-footed animal covered in fur. Accounts describe them as either apes or human-like who live deep inside the Himalayan mountain ranges of Nepal, India, and Tibet. The Tibetan story of Yeti dates back to the 12th century and is mentioned in the Mani Kabum, a religious historical chronicle of the time. It says that an incarnation of the Buddhist deity of Mercy, Sinmo lived in the mountains. She was a rock ogress who mated with Chenrezing, a monkey incarnation of the deity of compassion. Together, they had six hybrid human-monkey children, each of whom was the ancestor of one of the original Tibetan clans. Legend holds that most of the predecessors evolved over the years into humans (Tibetan people); however, some who failed to evolve remained as Yetis (Mirgod). Their puzzling features placed the creature as neither humans nor nonhumans. Such a cryptid with its tales could only thrive in the mystical realm of the Himalayas. Like the Nilgiris, the Himalayan ecosystem, with its unforgiving climate and rocky landscape, presents itself as the most apt location where creatures as ferocious as Yetis could be found.
Interestingly, the narrative of the shared kinship with the Yetis somewhere creates a sense of empathy towards the cryptid. This may be the reason why several Yetis have been depicted on the walls of monasteries, such as the Drepung monastery in Lhasa, Tibet.
Now these tales may or may not be accurate. However, its impact on people is real and must be acknowledged. The Kaduvas narrative portrays how the people of the place see themselves with the Nilgiri forests through the narratives of the cryptid. Similarly, the Yeti shows how, through shared genealogy, certain Tibetans are able to share a familial empathetic bond with them—providing a sense of identity. The cryptids thus act as cultural agents that symbolize the community's memory and identity. By perpetuating these stories, people are not only able to reinforce similar values of the community but also strengthen its relationship with the nature surrounding them. It guides communities as to how and what they infer from their habitat. The place, therefore, influences how people choose to exercise agency by legitimizing the emotional connection produced through storytelling. It bridges gaps between humanity and the environment by showing how cultural beliefs can both shape and be shaped by our interactions with the ecosystems we inhabit.
Ishani Kadu
