...During the show, several key authors and books were mentioned... I wonder what do you guys ... think of Dr. Napier's work in the overall Bigfoot field?
IMO he could have had a more significant impact. His one published book is not among the top titles cited, but should be. To his credit, Napier does discuss on the role that bigfoot/Saqautch/Yeti, et, al., may play myth in society, suggesting that, "'Even if no Bigfoot is ever brought to public light, its legend has value on its own. Society is built on legends and shared beliefs,' Napier says, and Bigfoot is one of those." One of his research colleagues was Rene Dahinden who IMO should be elected to the Bigfoot Hall of Fame. Not well known outside the BF field, along with John Green, Rene was one of the true pioneers in 1950s-'60s BF research.
"Rene Dahinden was Canada's first and probably only full-time Bigfoot hunter. Dahinden was born on August 23, 1930 in Switzerland and moved to Canada in 1953. Rene initially worked at a dairy farm in Alberta prior to becoming involved in the avid pursuit of Sasquatch. He interviewed countless eyewitnesses and conducted numerous field investigations throughout the Pacific Northwest. Dahinden frequently collaborated with fellow Bigfoot researcher John Green, whom he first met in 1956... In 1973 Dahinden co-wrote the book
Sasquatch with Don Hunter. The David Suchet French-Canadian Bigfoot hunter character in
Harry and the Hendersons was loosely based on Rene. Dahinden was well-known for his unbridled gusto, cranky, outspoken disposition, and warm, impish sense of humor (he cheerfully poked fun at himself in a hilarious 1997 TV commercial for Kokanee Beer). Rene was featured in the documentaries
Bigfoot: Man or Beast?, The Force Beyond, and the delightfully quirky
Sasquatch Odyssey: The Hunt for Bigfoot. Rene Dahinden died at age 70 from cancer on April 18, 2001."
