Discussion 23: "Little People"

I have something a little bit different this week. In the Pryor Mountains of Montana (located south-central-ish near the Wyoming border) there is a Native American belief or legend of "little people" living in the mountains. They are often described as 18 inches tall (sort of like all of us) and are often called "devils" or "demons" (hopefully not like us).

Whether you believe in the Little People as part of Crow Indian folklore or as something else is for you to decide. Physical evidence has been found, but there are still no firm conclusions drawn as to what the mummies found are. Such as whether it is a pygmy or an infant or an actual little mountain dwelling person. This could be tied in with the discovery of Hobbit-like people found in Indonesia.

The question is: what kind of beings are these? We're all pretty into paranormal here, maybe that sways our belief that these are alien beings? Or do we base our thinking on science?

Questions: What do you think these Little People are? Just folklore? Alien species? Another race? Could they be similar to the supposed Hobbit people? Or would you consider the Hobbit people more scientific and the Little People more spiritual?

Hobbits
Little People of the Pryor Mountains