Hobbits, Ebu Gogo, and Orang Pendek
Posted by: Loren Coleman on January 15th, 2008
History Channel’s “MonsterQuest” is going to be investigating the socalled “real Hobbits” in their episode premiering on January 16th, 2008, at 10PM ET.
The official summary of the program notes: “A MonsterQuest expedition will deploy researchers and the latest technology into the jungle, searching for evidence of a creature natives describe as half man, half ape.”
This will be cryptozoologist Adam Davies (author of a forthcoming Anomalist Books title), who will be leading the “MonsterQuest” crew on an investigation of Orang Pendek activities, for one part of the program.
Various cryptids and related hominoids discussed will be the “Hobbits” (i.e. Homo floresiensis), Ebu Gogo, and the Orang Pendek.
The Ebu Gogo are said to have been or are small, hairy, language-poor cave dwellers on the same scale of H. floresiensis. Widely considered to be present at the time of the arrival of the first Portuguese ships during the 16th century, these hairy unknown hominoids were apparently last spotted as recently a little over a hundred years ago, in the late 19th century.
The more well-known Orang Pendek are hairy unknown (more pongid) hominoids, said to still exist on Sumatra.
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
Hmm. The ‘Hobbit’ discovery also has had me wondering about other legends of small indigenous peoples from around the world. For example the old legends from the British Isles, not so much the more fanciful leprechaun and such, but the more ‘down to earth’ legends of the Cruithne (if I have that right). Plus there were, if I recall right, an assortment of small wild people in North America, as well as in Hawaii. Plus, of course the legendary dwarves of the land of Punt, known to the ancient Egyptians.
One of the more interesting of the “hairy dwarf” stories was the Nittewo (unsure of the spelling) of Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Said to be small, hairy, but strong, with twittering voices, a Roman writer mentioned them. In the 1700s an old man of the Vedda tribe told Europeans how, when he was a boy, his people hunted down the last of the Nittewo by driving them into a cave and building a big fire at the entrance, suffocating them.
hey everyone wow im definetly watching this new segment about hobbits & orang pendek on monsterquest tommarrow night indeed it should be vey informative etc. thanks bill green 🙂
Actually, the topic of Hobbits and the ancient Ceylon’s unidentified little hominoids, the Nittaewo, has been mentioned here at Cryptomundo frequently.
Type in “Nittaewo” (use that spelling) at the search feature above, and you’ll find some postings, such as this one here.
National Geographics Ape Man episode was alright. I think Monster Quest will be better.
Looking forward to the episode.
As usual, you rock, Loren!!!
Given enough time, contact with the hobbits of Isla Flores could be taken in the form of stories and legends throughout the world.
We must not forget the Island of Java.
Only a couple of centuries ago, Dutch travellers were reporting little people very similar to the Ebu Gogo on Java. One traveller witnessed on that had been captured.
The local Javanese were in the process of exterminating them at the time, as they (being Muslims) considered the little hairy creatures to be an afront to Islam.
Which might explain why the Indonesian academics go to such huge lengths to try and discredit the Hobbit find. Afterall, if Hobbits are real, then perhaps the little hairy people of myths and legends were real as well. Genocide is not a word that sits well with the Indonesians.