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Stick Indian


Gatofeo

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Anyone heard of the Stick Indian?

I had some Nez Perce friends years ago, which included two brothers of about 14 and 19.

The older brother, when we fished the rivers of Idaho, would tease his younger brother about the Stick Indian getting him.

But when I pressed for a description or history, I didn't get much.

It seems that the Stick Indian is Indian, exceedingly thin or almost skeletal, and for whatever reason abducts Indians who are in the wild.

That's about all I know.

I thought it was an interesting myth. Anyone heard of a Stick Indian?

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Never heard of him at all. Something new to learn about.

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Maybe someone could find a website link to this legend?

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Maybe someone could find a website link to this legend?

From what I was able to gather, it looks like some believe the stick indians to be sasquatch, as per the first link - Penuitan Bigfoot Legends.

Here ya go..

Penutian Bigfoot Legends

Masks which depict stick indians

Blurb on stick people there are a couple other legends listed with it..

Edited by ImaLoner
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  • 2 weeks later...

I would guess that it was just something passed down over time to keep children from running off, or doing things that they shouldn't be doing.

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  • 1 month later...

Most Native American folkore isn't written down... Native American's have many stories,

most people want proof to. But somethings are left alone. Native American's have in their time seen unexplainable beings, spirits (not human), and what not. But don't necessarily document them. Believe in leaving things be and not bothering with them.

If anyone needs to know something I suggest you ask an elderly Native American...more likely you'll get the real story.

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Well stated 2spook, to the Native Americans the word of mouth passed down from generation to generation was worth far more than what was written on paper and always was and always will be more credible to them as well.

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  • 2 months later...

Is it the stick people that take children that wonnder off in the woods?...........

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  • 4 weeks later...

In Warm Springs tradition, Stick Indians are the mediators between good and evil, always present, they are beings who live on high ground and look down on all the activities of the tribe. It is believed that if a child or adult is good and becomes lost in the woods, the Stick Indians will whistle them to safety. If they are bad, howere, having lost thier balance and strayed too far from normal, prescribed behavior, they will be whistled deeper and deeper into the woods. The Stick Indian reminds us that honoring the traditions of the people protects us and keeps us in a proper relationship with nature.

Here's a site that explains them a little better...

http://bfro.net/legends/penutian.htm

But what you really have to watch out for is water babies.

Edited by mr_nobody
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I thought this was about the "stick man" . I don't know where I read that story, if it was here or somewhere else, but that was DEFINITELY scary! Something about someone seeing a person who looked like one of those stick figures little kids draw. I'm getting chills just thinking about it!

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  • 5 months later...
Anyone heard of the Stick Indian?

I had some Nez Perce friends years ago, which included two brothers of about 14 and 19.

The older brother, when we fished the rivers of Idaho, would tease his younger brother about the Stick Indian getting him.

But when I pressed for a description or history, I didn't get much.

It seems that the Stick Indian is Indian, exceedingly thin or almost skeletal, and for whatever reason abducts Indians who are in the wild.

That's about all I know.

I thought it was an interesting myth. Anyone heard of a Stick Indian?

I heard about the Stick Indian from my daughter's boyfriend's family, whom are Athabascan. The Stick Indian was Indian. Been dead for some time. When he was alive, he was a warrior type, and bad. But his spirit still haunts the Native American tribes. While it's almost skeletal, it apparetly stands the height of a Big Foot. Also has a bright white light type cast about itself. It also tends to stick close to water.

There have been many cases of Indians being abducted while out in the wild. When the Indians bodies are found, their insides are spread about their bodies. The Native Americans of course keep that to themselves and never call in the law enforcement to investigate.

Once my daughter's boyfriend's father had been fishing on the Snohomish River here in WA. The fish weren't biting, so they packed their truck and started driving. As they were driving, a figure appeared in front of them. They swerved and missed it. When they looked behind them, it was gone.

Typically when the Stick Indian is present in an area, certain types of birds will show themselves. I can't recall the exact bird. I'll have to ask and post it here at another date. You don't have to be full blooded Indian to have it come after you either.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I remeber that! It was called B-somethin' (not boogeyman) but when I was in 5th grade I had a book with Monsters in it, and it talked about him...

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Thanks to all of you. I now know more about the Stick Indian than I ever expected to.

My Nez Perce friends were rather close-mouthed about it. The only time I ever heard of a Stick Indian is when I fished with two Nez Perce brothers. The older brother, about 21, would tease his 14-year-old brother about being taken by a Stick Indian. When I inquired about it, I was told it was basically an Indian thing.

I'm sure they found delight in befuddling the Siapo (a Siapo is a derogatory term for a white person; in the Chinook language it also means the color white).

Anyway, I learned quite a bit about the Stick Indian, thanks to your posts.

Do I believe? Nahhhhhh ... but it's interesting stuff. Every culture has its boogeyman.

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We ( the Nanticoke) have legends about beings like this. I don't remember what they are called but they have similar powers to skinwalkers and mess with hunters.

Lapiche

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  • 6 months later...

We have a similar creature in our Syilx (Okanogan) tradition up near the Canadian border in Washington State. When we were children we were warned of the stick men, also known as Stwyniito (pronounced St-why-night-tow). They were supposed to be 10 feet tall and very thin, but very strong, with really long arms and they could run fast as a horse. You'd see them out of the corner of your eye and then when you looked right at the spot you thought they were in, they'd be gone.

That's because they have the ability to become invisible. When they want to, they can shape shift into animals or objects like rocks and bushes so you can walk right past them without seeing them unless they want you to. They can turn into big animals like bears or bobcats, but usually they choose a smaller animal like a chipmunk or squirrel that you don't normally think of as scary, or you will notice a bush or rock you don't remember having seen before in a familiar location, then the next time you go there, it will be gone.

They came out after dark and were often associated with the hoot of an owl. If we were inside and heard an owl hoot, our parents would say the stick men were walking close by and we'd all be real quiet and listen for them. Also if you heard something like the call of a red-winged blackbird at night and away from water, or another bird that didn't belong there at that time of night, it was probably a stick man trying to lure you into the woods. If you followed, you'd never be seen again, so you better run home, quick.

Sometimes when they were hungry, they would steal a fresh killed deer from a lone hunter or a sleeping campsite.

I don't remember anything about them poking with sticks, I think the name came more from their body shape. We have a lot of steep shale hillsides in our area. If you were at the bottom of a hill and heard a rock crash, it was supposed to be a stick man throwing rocks at you or trying to start a rock slide. When we camped in the woods, we were warned to stay close to camp or a stick man might get us. Other than that, they never actually said what a stick man would do to you, but the implication was that you wouldn't like it.

Even when we were all grown up, our parents insisted they were real. I don't know if they are or not, I never saw one, but I do remember a few instances when we all heard out of place bird calls, specifically red-winged blackbirds nowhere near a lake, and got that creeped out feeling where all the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and time stands still for a couple minutes that feel like hours and you'd be so scared you couldn't speak and you couldn't make your feet move. Then we'd look at each other and without saying a word we'd all run like hell until we got out of the shadows and back inside the circle of the yard light. But then again, maybe we were just kids afraid of the dark and creeping ourselves out.

Edited by aaanativearts
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  • 1 month later...

Well it could always be a indian going on one of those journey things who hasnt eaten in days and he could have gone up to a child for help and someone mistake this for a stick indian.

OR it could be a skinny indian pedofile

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Anyone heard of the Stick Indian?

I had some Nez Perce friends years ago, which included two brothers of about 14 and 19.

The older brother, when we fished the rivers of Idaho, would tease his younger brother about the Stick Indian getting him.

But when I pressed for a description or history, I didn't get much.

It seems that the Stick Indian is Indian, exceedingly thin or almost skeletal, and for whatever reason abducts Indians who are in the wild.

That's about all I know.

I thought it was an interesting myth. Anyone heard of a Stick Indian?

found several references to them but it was the first time I ever heard of them...cool post! Aanica B)

http://www.bfro.net/legends/penutian.htm

http://www.bfro.net/legends/salish.htm

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It seems that the Stick Indian is Indian, exceedingly thin or almost skeletal....

Then exactly how do Stick People differ from Skin Walkers? The above quotation is precisely how I've usually heard Skin Walkers described.

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I'm confused now..From what I read skin walkers had the supernatural ability to turn themselves into any animal that they wanted to be..Supposingly they ran on all fours, and I think that is something about them killing someone in their family that puts them on a higher level...It's really interesting, but I'm to lazy to hunt it up... :)

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I'm confused now..From what I read skin walkers had the supernatural ability to turn themselves into any animal that they wanted to be..Supposingly they ran on all fours, and I think that is something about them killing someone in their family that puts them on a higher level...It's really interesting, but I'm to lazy to hunt it up... :)

Yes, I've also heard Skinwalkers described as were-thises and were-thats (and as vampires, too). But they are also said to be so "extremely thin or even skeletal" that they are "Wind Witches" who can ride the winds just as far and just as fast as those winds can carry them.

Edited by OldTimeRadio
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  • 2 weeks later...

I was trying to search for the story I described in here a year ago, but can't seem to find it....BUT I did find a lot of references to aliens described as "stickmen". Interestingggg

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  • 10 months later...

I grew up on a reservation. Stick indians, from what ive been taught by my tribe, are believed to be small indians that lure you farther and farther into the woods by noises (whistles, drums, singing, etc) and once you are in the woods and lost they attack you.

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