Case file · Folklore / legend
Kapre, the Philippine tree giant
In Philippine folklore the kapre is a tall, dark, hairy giant that sits in large trees such as acacia, balete or mango, smoking a big cigar, playing tricks on travellers.
1900 CE · 14.00, 121.50 · status: legend
The account
Smelling tobacco smoke or seeing a glowing light in a tree at night is said to reveal one. Kapres can lead people astray in the forest; turning your shirt inside out is said to break the spell. The name comes from the Arabic kafir by way of Spanish cafre, a colonial term applied to the dark-skinned Negrito peoples.
The sceptical view
A supernatural being of folklore, not a reported animal; historians trace it partly to prejudiced Spanish-era portrayals of Negrito peoples by lowland Christian Filipinos.