The Ebu Gogo (pronounced abu, rhymes with Paula Abdul) are the main characters in a traditional folk story told by the Flores Islanders. As the main characters in the island legends the Ebu Gogo are described as a small, nasty people with a voracious appetite that sometimes included the devouring of the occasional human baby. The Ebu Gogo were said to walk awkwardly and could be heard to murmuring in their own language and were said to be capable of parroting human speech. When they could tolerate the Ebu Gogo no more the Flores islanders drove the small people in the direction of the caves, perhaps near Liang Bau or perhaps they burned the survivors alive. In any case, these stories were probably told to keep truculent Flores children in line in much the same fashion as some western fairy tales are told.
Some scientists believe that the folk lore maybe a shared cultural memory of Homo floresiensis but there is no solid evidence to support that theory. However, legends have the Ebu Gogo disappearing about 400 years ago at the time of the arrival of the Portuguese explorers. Scientists working on the Homo floresiensis find have also referred to the Ebu Gogo as “Hobbits”. Followers of cryptozoology, the pseudoscience that studies legendary animals such as Bigfoot and Sasquatch, are also enamored of the Ebu Gogo legend. The Ebu Gogo are also the main characters in Flores Girl. Their discovery by two American scientists begins a series of unfortunate events that has unforeseen consequences for all involved. For more information and images of the Ebu Gogo go to www.FloresGirl.com.
Try these sites for the free Flores Girl novel download:
http://www.wattpad.com/125445-Flores-Girl-The-Children-God-Forgot-Part-1
Flores Girl Wattpad Press Release
By the way back in 2004 there was some hope by scientists that perhaps a few members of the Ebu gogo were still alive somewhere deep in the primordial forests of Indonesia. This became the inspiration for the Flores Girl novel.
Cheers,
Erik John Bertel