Nimerigar: The People Eaters
An ancient race of vicious little people from Shoshone legend.
Tales of ancient races of little people dwelling in North America are widespread among several Native American tribes. These creatures bear some similarities to sprites and fairies who populate European folklore. That’s simply a fun coincidence, though, since these Native American oral traditions predate any first contact with European settlers.
Some legends recount little people who are quite hostile and dangerous toward humans. One such legend concerns the Nimerigar from Shoshone folklore.
Who are the Nimerigar?
Shoshone legends identify the Nimerigar as an ancient race of little people who dwelt in the Wind River and Pedro Mountains regions of Wyoming. Their name is a transliteration from the Shoshone and Paiute languages that means “people eaters.”
The Nimerigar lived up to their name in folklore recounting their brutality. They were fierce, cruel, and dangerous. Some particularly gruesome legends recount Nimerigar stealing babies during the night and eating the helpless infants. They also targeted members of their own tribe who were elderly or seriously ill in fatal attacks, bashing in their skulls.
These Nimerigar legends seemed to serve dual purposes:
Encourage Shoshone tribal members to care for vulnerable people who formed part of their tribe — young and old alike.
Using the depravity of the Nimerigar as a pointed lesson to reinforce why harming or ignoring the welfare of infants, the elderly, and seriously ill people was an inhumane action.
Confronting the Nimerigar was never a wise idea in these tales. Shoshone legends depict Nimerigar tribal members as expert archers. All shot arrows with amazing accuracy from tiny bows. Such attacks had the potential to be highly lethal. Each arrow was tipped with poison.
Little Mummies
True believers insist the Nimerigar were an actual pygmy race who once lived in ancient North America. As evidence, they point to a discovery of an alleged 14 inch tall Nimerigar mummy in Wyoming’s San Pedro Mountains in 1932. The mummy was displayed in a Casper, Wyoming store for many years and then ended up in New York where it disappeared without a trace in the 1980s.
Early tests suggested the mummy was a 65-year old man who died violently. The body showed evidence of a damaged spine, broken collarbone and bashed skull. It also possessed a full set of pointed canine teeth. Later tests concluded the mummy was an anencephalic infant whose cranial deformities made it resemble a miniature adult. Believers in the Nimerigar insist these findings are part of a broader conspiracy to discredit the existence of ancient little people in North America.
The Nimerigar are a perfect horror story monster. And they are also a fascinating and frightening example of the rich mosaic of little people folklore that has evolved across the world.
