Basically, legends and folktales are unfounded. Most of us believe that little people exist only in folklores along with the giants, the leprechauns, the fairies and the ghosts. Legends tell us that little people used to inhabit the surface of the earth. They co-existed with humans. However, they went underground because they were mistreated by the “big” people. We find stories about the little people in all cultures, and in all countries around the world.

These diminutive people who live in caves, in the woods and near lakes and rivers would often play pranks on people. These dwarfs would hide human belongings, would take away children from cruel parents. Some folktales say that these little people show themselves to children and once seen by an adult would beg the person not to disclose their existence. They would offer bribes and would promise to help the family in times of need.

If there are friendly little people, cruel dwarfs exist too. The Shoshone Indians of North America’s Rocky Mountains have a share of folklore too. The story of the malevolent race of dwarfs was retold from generation to generation. According to the Shoshone tale, Nimerigar are destructive and violent little people who lived in the Wind River and in Wyoming mountains particularly in the Pedro range.

Nimerigar are spiteful little people. They would fight with humans using tiny bows to shoot poisoned arrows. When a Nimerigar become too ill to be of use to their society, they are killed with a blow on the head. Many tales were told about these small people but as always they were conceived to be products of someone’s fertile imagination until a skeleton speculated to be the remains of a Nimerigar was found in 1932.

The Pedro Mountain mummy also known as the Dwarf mummy of Wyoming was found by Cecil Main and Frank Carr. These two gold prospectors blasted a rock wall in the Pedro Mountains. And they found the 14 inch mummy sitting crossed legs on a small rocky ledge. The hands are folded in the lap not unlike a Buddha. The dark brown skin is wrinkled; the nose is spread flat and outward. The mummy has a low forehead and the mouth is wide and thin lipped. The mummy is well preserved in fact the fingernails can be clearly seen. The mummy was studied by archeologists. The x-ray displayed that the skull was smashed by a strong blow. This fact made some experts conclude that the skeleton is a Nimerigar.

There is a website that describes the Nimerigar and numerous other creatures of Cryptozoology in detail, this website is called: Unknown Creatures and it may be found at this url: unknown-creatures.com

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