Much of our study of the past involves separating fact from fiction. Myths and folklore from times gone by often have some basis in reality.
Tales from many different cultures and many different sources have spoken of giants who once roamed the Earth. And it seems there may be evidence to support these tales.
What is This Evidence?
Archaeological findings may support the idea that giant humans once roamed the face of the Earth, thanks to evidence uncovered in Nevada.
Human remains have been unearthed. But these are no ordinary remains. The size of the individuals is almost unbelievable, with some skeletons seeming to measure up to 10 feet tall.
A Forgotten Race of Humans?
These gigantic skeletons would seem to lend credence to stories and theories that a forgotten race of massive humans once roamed the southwestern United States.
Many of these theories come from tales told by the Paiute, a tribe that settled in what is now the Nevada region thousands of years ago.
The Si-Te-Cah
Paiute legends talk of a race of cannibalistic, red-haired giants known as the Si-Te-Cah that traveled to the Americas from a distant land.
The stories say they traveled the oceans on rafts made of reeds and were known among the inhabitants of the Americas for being crueler, stronger, and much taller than ordinary men.
Are These Remains Si-Te-Cah?
One of the things that is noteworthy about the remains found in Nevada, some of which were mummified, is that in addition to being up to 10 feet tall, they also seemed to have red hair.
This would align with the stories told by the Paiute. There are other discoveries that have been made in the region over the years that also appear to give credibility to the myth of the Si-Te-Cah.
1911 Discovery
While digging for valuable guano (used for fertilizer) in a cave near the city of Lovelock, Nevada, miners began uncovering strange objects.
This led to official excavations in 1912 and 1924 that unearthed thousands of fascinating artifacts, including a 15-inch-long sandal that showed signs of having been worn. Other similarly large items were allegedly recovered.
The Lovelock Giants
Also unearthed in a dry lakebed close to Lovelock, according to a 1931 article in the Nevada Review-Miner, were two oversized skeletons.
According to the report, these giant remains were mummified in a manner similar to that used by the ancient Egyptians and measured 8.5 and 10 feet in height, respectively. They were nicknamed the Lovelock Giants.
The Source of Multiple Legends?
The discovery of these giant-sized remains near Lovelock, Nevada made people begin to reevaluate old legends of long-dead giants.
There are tales of unusually large people that crop up all over the Americas. Where once they seemed farfetched, now there was potential evidence that 10-foot-tall people once walked around Nevada. Could they be the source of all these legends?
Accounts of a Spanish Conquistador
It isn’t just the Paiute with tales of giants. A sixteenth-century Spanish conquistador named Pedro Cieza de Léon recorded an ancient Peruvian tale of giants in the Americas.
Mirroring the Paiute legend, he wrote of men who arrived “in rafts of reeds” some of whom “were so tall that from the knee down they were as big as the length of an ordinary fair-sized man.”
Other Discoveries
Up in the Andes between Bolivia and Peru, remains have been found with elongated skulls and are said to be much larger than normal human remains. Some were also found to have red hair.
This is an interesting facet that pops up again and again, suggesting that all these different legends describe the same tribe of people. However, some scientists simply attribute this reddish coloring of the hair to the environment in which the bodies were buried.
What Became of the Si-Te-Cah?
The legends of the Paiute explain what became of these striking red-headed giants. Supposedly, after years of war with local tribes, the remaining Si-Te-Cah were chased away.
They sought refuge inside the Lovelock cave. Seeing an opportunity to be rid of this terror, the tribes started a fire at the cave entrance, suffocating and burning alive the few remaining giants.
Has a Lost Tribe of Giants Really Been Discovered?
The veracity of the discovery of these Nevada giants remains in question. The claims made by those who discovered the Lovelock Giants were not confirmed.
However, bizarre relatives of modern humans have been discovered elsewhere, like the hobbit-like Homo floresiensis in Indonesia. Who knows, maybe future discoveries will prove the myth of the Si-Te-Cah to be true.
