Loh Down On Hominid
Posted by: Loren Coleman on July 11th, 2006
Artist Peter Loh thinks another revision to his drawing is in order based on Vincent Chow’s new sketch, above. Also Peter feels some explanations from his point of view are worthy of registering, regarding the Johor Hominid drawings he has submitted. This seems only fair, so here’s his say:
Vincent is a great artist too, eh? Here’s my earlier drawing with some changes based on his drawing. Now, I’d like to voice some of my frustrations when making my sketches.
Before I sent you the last drawing (the original version of the drawing below), I had wanted to change the nose (to almost exactly what Vincent has drawn). In fact, I’d always suspected that the nose was more ape-like (or gorilla-like) but if you’d look back at all the descriptions by Vincent, there was no mention of this, except that the nose was "upturned" or "upside down", which was why I drew them the way I did.
I regret not trusting my instincts. What makes me suspicious is why couldn’t it simply be described as "ape-like" which is what it is? Isn’t it easier to make a comparison with the nose of a known primate than to describe it in a new way?
Another discrepency is this: Vincent described to me that the eyebrows were thick and bushy. Do you see that in his drawing?
So what do you make of this?
Peter Loh’s latest revision of the Johor Hominid, based upon the new information contained in Vincent Chow’s tracing.
The above and following images demonstrate the range of what three people have considered to be the visual data from apparently one photograph. Won’t it be better to just see the photo, at this point in time?
Click on image for full-size version
Update: Wed, 12 Jul 2006
A proposal to Vincent Chow
Dear Vincent,
I hope I’m not asking too much here. With all due respect, I couldn’t get a very clear description of your hominid when we met sometime back. As a wise man once said, a picture is worth a thousand words. While I did voice my frustrations in the earlier post, I know it’s not your fault at all. The person listening (yours truly, in this case) also has a responsibility to provide an accurate interpretation.
So I’d like to make this proposal (you might say I’m a tad presumptuous): Please show me the photos and let me do my version of what I see. I don’t need to trace the photos. Show them to me and I’ll tell the world the truth with my own sketches based on these photos. We could meet up at a place of your choice and you could show them to me alone, or if you don’t mind, we could also get Kenny Fong (SPI) to come along as a witness. I can assure you that we will not take any photos of the photos. You will have nothing to lose but everything to gain from this. After all, a few people at your end have already seen the photos, and if a “third party” could verify that they are real, I believe there wouldn’t be any more doubt of their authenticity, if that’s what you hope to see.
I hope you’ll really give this suggestion some serious consideration, and I’m sure everyone here in this forum will be just as anxious as I am while we wait for your response. I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank you for what you’ve done so far. Great work!
Commentary from Loren Coleman: While this sounds great, I’m sorry to burst Peter Loh’s bubble, but the present situation will not be changed by yet another lone individual seeing the photograph or photographs, in isolation. To say that “there wouldn’t be any more doubt of their authenticity” if Peter Loh is shown them merely goes to further the fact that only a “special few” are being shown these photos. So what if the circle is expanded by one more or even a panel. I reject both ideas, even though one was recenlty my own, and stand pat with calling for the broad-based publication of the photographic images.
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.
Loren,
As these sketches progress and change this so called Hominid is starting to look more Primate. Perhaps Mr. Chow and Mr. Ang found a new species of Primate, but I am starting to doubt if this is a true bipedal Hominid. After this all settles we may be looking at an already known species, perhaps a Gorilla or Orangutan?
Mike Aragona
BFRO Investigator New Jersey
I’ve been thinking more about the possibility that these photos (if they exist) might have been taken in Cambodia or Vietnam–especially given Chow’s claims that the photographers are “Cambodian guerillas.” There are legends/stories of a “Vietnamese Wildman.” You can find numerous articles and webpages just by Googling that phrase, or “Nguoi Rung,” which I think is the local name for the creature.
I found this drawing of a Nguoi Rung. Looks a lot like Vincent’s drawing of the Johor Hominid, doesn’t it?
As an artist I understand Loh’s frustration with chow. It sometimes is very difficult to get non-artistic types to tell you completely what they are saying/wanting. Then when you do the best you can, they don’t like it or say something like, “That’s not what I said.” I think the whole mess that has come about is all on chow for not just releasing the pictures in the first place, at least to the artist(s) who are suppose to be doing the rendering.
Yes, Jason, this is part of the back channel conversations that have been occurring, as I mentioned re: Dmitri Bayonov, in yesterday’s posting on the “hand.”
Sorry, Loren. I had already forgotten that Dmitri mentioned the possible Cambodian connection. All of this info is hard to keep up with! 🙂
I do not believe anyone has specifically mentioned the Nguoi Rung, though. From what I’ve found, it alleged lives in an area near the Cambodia/Vietnam border. I wonder if Chow or Ang will address this issue?
I am just ready to see the darn pics period!!!
In the first place, I can’t see why a ‘mind shattering’ find wasn’t treated in the utmost care. The sketches should have been drawn directly from the photos in the first place to avoid all the confusion, frustration and the questioning of credibility. Come on…wasn’t this taught in Anthro 101?
Wow. We’re seeing evolution in the form of sketches.
Or is it deevolution?
Like jjames2, when I first saw the new Chow drawing, I thought of the Nguoi Rung stories. There were numerous reports during the Vietnam conflict, from North Vietnamese and Viet Cong as well as from American GIs. The North Vietnamese may even have sent a scientist to investigate while the war was still going on.
One of the stories circulating about the “Minnesota Iceman” had the creature shot in Vietnam and smuggled into the US in a body bag. The body of the drawing jjames2 provided is a good match for the “iceman”, but the head not so good.
One thing that does not fit with the Johor stories is that the Nguoi Rung are said to be human-sized, not giants.
At this point, I will be shocked if any pictures are produced at any point.
This smells like a “bait & switch” to me.
David
I can’t believe we’re still debating whether one drawing that’s based on a description that supposedly represents an alleged photo looks like another.
You know what would be a great way to settle this? – Release the photos!
Devolving rapidly into an ape. Even when the pictures come out, the question will be how tall are they. I’m sure that will be drastically revised too. Down, Down, Down.
Malaysia has a long history of varying mystery primates… everything from alleged giants that leave twenty-four inch tracks to tiny hominids known as the Orang batik. All of these could represent different forms of Homo erectus. They would not have “devolved” but simply regressed to a more primitive lifestyle after being driven into remote areas by Homo sapiens.
everyone is waiting on pins and needles for dr. chow to release the great pictures he has in his possession from my opinion on this subject everything that ptere loh and sean ang have drawn i think this could be the greatest find of all time only if the drawnins are the same has the pictures im just like all of you here im awaiting the pictures.theres got to be more than one different kind of manlike pimate the pictures seem to change in every picture. this would be a big blow to the crypto world if these pictures turn out to be a fraud.if dr. chow wants to SHOCK THE WORLD release the pictures