Generational trauma from residential schools, broken treaties, and cultural suppression has created a cycle of alcoholism in Native American communities, where alcohol spirits (supernatural entities attracted to intoxication) feed on the suffering and negativity of those who lose their traditional ways and cultural protection. Breaking this cycle requires reconnecting with traditional ceremonies, elders, and cultural practices to restore spiritual protection and heal the generational wounds.
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Don’t Whistle at Night - Generational Trauma with Rodney Williamson Sr.Added:
Welcome to Don't Whistle at Night podcast, where Navajo legends echo in the shadows.
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Where the old stories breathe, the unknown walks among us and voices long hidden rise to be heard.
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Hello everyone. Hello, welcome. I am Daniel. Welcome to Don't Whistle at Night. We are broadcasting live on the United Public Radio Network 107.7 FM in New Orleans. I am your host Don Yazi and I'm going to bring my co-host Darren Yoazi. I'd like to say hello to everyone out there. I hope everyone's doing well. It is 80 80 degrees here in St. George, Utah. So, I hope everyone is having a nice cool evening and let's bring on the co-host here, Pine Hills most interesting man.
Hey, what's up guys? Well, we got uh we got Rodney back and you know, it's always it's always a pleasure to talk to him, you know, get his um his in his input on the world on his side and uh you know, this is what we're going to do right now is, you know, uh this is different cultures communicating with one another, you know, which is a very unique thing. I never thought I would be able to do this, but hey, look at us now. So, uh, yeah, let's let's do this. And happy.
Yeah, let's go.
>> All right. Yeah, like what Darren said, you know, it is um it is an honor and you know, communicating with um another tribe, a brother and sister tribes.
We're all we're all family and you know the more um connections that we can make with other tribes you know it'll be great for all the generations you know before uh we started the podcast I used to love going to different rezes going to different reservations different state check out that reservation you know just to mingle a little bit with the locals you know as much as possible and that's one of the things that I love to do and this this is the same thing but uh virtual and it's been really fun.
So, let's start the show. Let's start the show. Let's bring on the guests.
Drum roll, please. Drum roll, please.
Here we go. Hey.
Yeah, the honor is all mine, guys. Fix my camera a little bit.
>> Yeah. Need to do a little finger on my side.
>> Yeah, the honor is all mine. I I never thought I'd be, you know, have so many friends from down south and I rez and you know the whole group that we've kind of created on Tik Tok. Um, by the way, if you're listening from Tik Tok, it's good to have you guys here. And I always feel honored when other folks want to, you know, talk about these things, too.
It's just one of those things where all of our stories kind of intermingled are really similar when you get down to it.
And >> I don't know, it's just an honor to be able to do this. I I feel you, Darren.
>> Right. All right. It's uh, you know, we put in a very unique situation. you know, we get to suffer for, you know, not for ourselves, but for the audience that hearing that's hearing now and the audience that's going to hear later, you know, which is a very amazing uh thought that I I usually um put my mind towards, you know, I think more of the future.
So, uh you know, I never really thought I would be right here, but hey, man, it's very unique. This life is still full of full of surprises, and you know, I can't uh I can't stop loving it, you know. loving everything, all the mystery in this world and yeah know all that we did a little uh collabor talking with couple of the locals out here again and you know some of the stories you know they're coming out of the woodworks you know which is very very unique thing too so I'm very happy for that so uh so where do you guys want to leave us off at now where did we leave off from last uh episode so we got um spirits.
>> What was that?
>> The alcohol spirits and you know the generational trauma and stuff like that is kind of >> kind of where we're at.
>> Uh you know, that's one thing I think every uh reservation can uh relate on is these alcohol spirits. You know, where do they come from? Who what are they?
Cuz they weren't from here. you know, uh there are tribes out there and the the Apaches, they make u you know, they make their toi their their their alcohol like that too, which is kind of passed down through the generations. But you know I can truly you know say that you know the Native American population are the alcohol is wreaping havoc on the people and even the name itself spirit you know we're you know what kind of spirit these ain't from here you know and all of us can relate on the effects of alcohol and you know everybody here can you know has their stories you know their their party stories you know their stories that just go way out and you know people just flipping out and uh tripping. I guess you would just say that you know just uh bugging out and you know that's one thing I always wanted to talk about too is you know when these when they you know they black out drunk. I was talking with one of my friends and he said that he blacked out drunk and he went into he drove to the casino. You don't know how he got there and who was and you know like who was driving. Well, it wasn't him. you know, who had control of his body when he was out, you know, when the black from this alcohol, whatever these spirits are, you know, they're they're kind of explain to me like they're not biased. This is the only thing that's not biased in this world is these alcohol. You know, this the spirit of alcohol wants everybody, women, men, children, you know, you name it. It's out there for everybody. And it's the only thing that I I came to believe is it's not biased at all when it comes down to it. He wants everybody and everything you have. And you know all of us I'm pretty sure all of us can relate on that subject matter. You know the alcohol is reaping havoc on the population. You know I see it all the time. And then with them you know come these entities like uh Rod has with the the goat men. you know, they the go they're attracted to these these uh what it does to the the to the mind, to the conscience of uh you know, the people around, especially being new to alcohol cuz uh alcohol was never here, you know, and it's only been here for maybe 300 years, 200 years, give or take. And there's a whole dispute about it also of, you know, everything that we lost and everything that we we uh thought we got back. You know, it's not really the same after alcohol and um you know, with these spirits too. We have a snake spirit too that uh I was told about what that comes with alcohol too and they would you know people will get kind of possessed you would say you know overtaken by these uh spirit alcohol spirits and they would slither believe it or not like and you know that's something that I seen also and it was one thing that I uh was talking about on the first time we did our u Patreon we're doing the Patreon that's the first thing I brought up when we were having uh dinner that uh the the alcohol they would you know they would turn into snakes, you know, slither like snakes, talk like snakes, you know, it's really weird. It's it's kind of I don't really know where to uh place it. So, but one thing I do feel confident confident enough to do is, you know, talk about it. What is it, you know, what does it do to the people, you know, and what what bring what comes with it? As for you, you know, you talk about the goat man and we have these uh snake spirits, you know, that follow these alcohol in the people. So, uh yeah, for that, you know, let's get on to this debate of what it is and you know, about it >> to >> um >> Oh, yeah. Before we go on, uh, one of the things that not many people know and actually are aware that, um, alcohol has been here in the, um, continents before the colonizers came because the Aztec had at least seven different types of alcohol and they were used for ceremonial purposes. you know, there's um like a milky one. Then there's a uh f fermented one, you know, from a maze, you know, uh brewed using sprouted kernels. Then there's fruit wine. Then there's honey wine. But, uh they always they always had laws to restrict it, you know, who can drink it, when they can drink it. in in the Andes in the mountains, they found a lot of um teenagers, you know, like teenage women, you know, different different age people, but they found a lot of uh girls like 10 years old, 13 years old um up there, you know, dead, you know, just frozen in place. And then when they did the DNA, they they did like, you know, they treated as a crime scene. And they found out that that girl was drunk. You know, they got her really really drunk and then they placed her up there where she she you know, succumb to the elements. So, you know, there's um there's always ritualistic behind there and there's spirits behind them that drive that drive spiritual forces that drive them and there's reasons why that we cannot sip it. There's not reasons why that we cannot drink it because, you know, from my experience, you know, from drinking it. Tequila, that one was the one where Don will be here and next thing you know, he's gone and he's not coming back all night. And, you know, I'll be I'll be getting into trouble.
And vodka is the same thing, too. Like, I don't dance, but if I have some vodka, I'll be out there salsa, you know, I'll be I'll be doing trying to dance making myself like a fool.
And um you know so different drinks had me doing different type of stupid things and you know I'm glad that I stopped you know 10 years sober. It's >> it's been great. You know I finally woke up and I'm aware you know I wish I stopped drinking. I wish I never drank because you know we all grew up watching our elders our our our grandparents our our mother our father all partake you know party. That's what it is.
Partaking, you know, in the alcoholic beverages.
So, you know, it's just it's just a same day, you know, same [ __ ] new pile, but just maybe more much more vast. But, um, but, uh, what do you, so what's your, uh, your views and your take on all this? Um, Rodney.
>> Well, it all started, I think, with the residential schools, the >> Yeah.
>> broken treaties, the land being taken, us being pushed further and further and further into these little areas. I think all of that, that whole history together, it all comes out. These are byproducts of it, you know, the generational trauma and all that because you think about it's it's relatively recent for us for us black people, you know, like the greatest generation that we all talk about, the ones that fought World War II, those are the ones that really really started this alcoholism and my because before them, like say in the 1800s, late 1800s, it was there too. So, it wasn't as rampant though because there was a lot of holy people still left and they never did any of that stuff. So, when the kids got put into the schools that generation above, you know, the above the greatest generation, those older ones, they they were afraid in my tribe, they were afraid to teach their kids how to speak black feet because of what they what would happen to them. I mean it started there but it really hit with that greatest generation. They were really afraid of it because they had to go into the boarding schools. Their parents had to watch from the outside. So one time the Holy Family mission out into medicine where I'm from on the Black Feet Res uh there's a story of this man uh I want to say it was Cathrobe was his name.
Anyways, he went down to see his son at the school because my grandpa told me, he says, "No, when they when they put us there, they told my parents, "If your kids don't go to school down there, you're going to jail. So, you have to go." And they had a census by then, so they knew who was who. And they went to every house and they forced all of the kids into this school. Schools were broke out. There were different places where the kids would go or they'd be shipped off to a big one. but that they were under threat of jail if they didn't put their kids there. So anyways, they could still go down there and visit if they could make it there. But some of the parents, their kids were hundreds of miles away. They couldn't just travel anymore. You know, a lot of times they couldn't even leave their res or they'd be, you know, unalived. People out there, whoever the land takers were, the colonizers would would unalive them, you know, kill them. So when bullc or bullshoe I mean it was either calf robe one of these I'll just say it was calf robe even though I could be wrong here but he went down to go see his son and when he went down there they had his son kneeling on a broomstick just kneeling on it and he had his hands up in the air like this and he walked in and he could see that from the fence you know he could see him he says hey get up what are you doing get off your knees you're black feet. Stand up, you know, don't no [ __ ] Get up. You know, and he made his son stand up. And he walked into that into that church and he says, "What are you doing to my boy? Why is he on his knees like that? You black feet.
We don't get on our knees for anybody.
What are you doing here?" And he said, "No, that's his punishment. He was he was doing what he wasn't told. He wasn't listening." And he said, um, he said, "So you made him kneel on a broomstick with his hands in the air? The hell's wrong with you?" and he went in there and he beat the fist at that that priest, knocked him plum under that table. So, I mean, even those little things they could do weren't much, you know, like I don't know what happened after that. Did he go to jail for that?
I have no idea. But that those old-timers got their hands on you for witnessing something like that. Yeah, there was going to be hell to pay, but there still wasn't much. It was all traumatized. It was traumatizing for him to see that. see his boy like that. But after that, the that greatest generation, they're the ones who were really afraid to teach like my dad and them, they were afraid to teach them black feet. And so that kind of trickled down to us. Like a lot of us, our first language isn't black feet up to this day. You know, there's a bunch of school, the school that we have called Kutzwood. The kids go there and they learn they learn black feet in there.
But again, it's not the first language, but at least they're learning it today.
You know, it's more so it's getting better and better with each generation.
We're starting to come out of that, you know, those those repatriating our ways, the things we lost because of those hard times, you know, the kids being separated from their parents.
>> Yeah.
>> And there's a lot there because we grow up with this, right? We grow up with this uh traditional ways. And when you're separated from that, we're just like the nap on. We're just like them.
You have a void in you. There's, you know, when we have that void filled, the ones of us that grew up with the traditional ways, there's no wondering.
There is no, "Oh, is this real? Let me go get some proof." You know, we don't have that. We know it's real. But these other ones, there's a void in there. And there's nothing wrong with going out and, you know, poking around in hills like you guys do. But when you look at these non-natives, these napuans, when they do it, it's it it's silly. You could tell they don't believe. They say they don't believe and they want to have proof, you know, and and it's it's one of those things where you you look at them and you look at a native and it's it's totally different. But how does that all tie into these ghost stories?
Well, in my mind, it's because when you lose your ways, that void I'm talking about, you don't have protection. You don't know how to protect yourself versus them. Let alone once you take that into your body in an abusive way without any sort of um you know, you were talking about the Apaches. They have rights to that.
That's how it sounds how I would interpret that.
>> Yeah.
>> That means those spirits are there and they're guiding them on how to use it correctly. There's a way to do that, right? Just like there is with peyote.
That's against my tribe's ways. We can't do peyote. We can't do alcohol when you're when you're on that red road.
They they don't mix with the medicine.
It counteracts it. It doesn't work. So you you can't really do that in our way.
The way our medicine works. You have to be straight. Your mind has to be clear.
The only way we get to those places is by fasting. You know, ceremony, things like that. Going without food and water for four days and four nights. Those that's how you get there. You sleep when you're fasting. and they come to you in dreams or they'll come right up to you and well while you're awake. That's how we get there is through sacrifice, not through um any sort of mindaltering substance. Again, we don't have rights to it. If we had rights to that and the spirits decided we needed to know that, they would have taught us that, but they they didn't. They taught others that, but not us. And so when when you have this generational trauma of of alcohol, that cycle that you teach to your kids and it just keeps going and you don't break that cycle, they're going to be in that same boat you are, right? They'll they'll suffer the same way you did. And it all trickles down from the beginning all the way until today. And um we're susceptible to it, my tribe especially, because we don't have the enzymes evolved in our systems yet to break it down and to you know, everybody's always sicker than a damn dog when you get done with everything, right? It's just it's it's really rough rough on your body. We don't have a a lot of defense against it naturally in our bodies. So, it really it really tears us up and it really destroys families and things like that.
But um like I said, when you lose your ways, you have no way to protect yourself because their medicine, even if you had medicine to protect yourself once you take that alcohol, like like I said, nullified, they could just mess with you. You're just like a like a juicy steak they want to bite into.
You're irresistible to them and it attracts far and wide.
>> There's many things that come there and it's all because we're abusing it. We're abusing it. We're not using it right.
And the suffering that comes from that is what they eat. The energy that we let go. They eat that. That's the only thing they have to eat. So, like I said, you're like a flame in a dark field and all the moths are just coming to it. You know, that's how you are. That's really what happens when you get drunk. And who knows what can jump into you.
>> They're probably fighting over you, you know, taking turns jumping into you.
Just, you know, they're just loving it.
They just love it when we drink. And it's it's evil, man. It's really bad.
But >> yeah, >> so it'll go into alcohol, it'll go into drugs, it'll go into sex as well. You know, these things, they'll it's a big giant world of suffering. And each one has got its own thing. Alcohol, >> they come to party with you. Drugs, they they show themselves like shadow people, you know? That's what I've noticed. Then with the the sex, I'll tell you a story about that one that I don't hardly ever tell because it's so rough, right? Okay.
So, >> so this one's a mixture of drugs and sex together. Um the thing that came from that was so my brother that I grew up with um from boarding school, we were in boarding schools together, the modern boarding schools. And you know, you still have to fight down there. There's still pitiful kids come from broken families, which I did. And so to we go down there as a safe haven to get away from our home, you know, seeing your mom fly across the living room, seeing your dad knocked out with a telephone as she gets old, you know, and you're scared, you know, and this is a common occurrence. So we decide to go there where there's less suffering. All you got to deal with is boys bigger than you trying to beat you up, right? It's a hell of a lot better than being at home having adults fall on you and squish you and hurt you. No, man. You know, so it was better to go down there. And this guy I went down there with um he's actually in prison right now as they speak. But he he was telling me he stayed in Browning near the old cemetery in town there. And uh he says next door there was another guy that we grew up with. He these guys are all older now.
you know, they must have been about in their 30s at the time. And he was really into that methamphetamine drug. He's really into that. And he would have all these girls coming over, you know, and there was sex going on.
And, you know, who knows what else going on and they're drinking too and whatever. So they had a little boy and my brother and them, they used to watch that little boy, you know, because they might have been doing their thing, you know, illegal substances, but it wasn't, you know, it might be like the marijuana or something. They're not they weren't into the heavy stuff like these other guys.
So they would take pity on that boy and, you know, they'd visit they'd babysit him, let him come over and visit, things like that. They were his safe haven. And I think that's where my brother learned it from was, you know, when we were kids, you know, somewhere to go that was less evil. And so they took care of him from time to time. Well, eventually he ended up going to jail. Um the guy next door went went to jail. Him and his um who whoever was all there staying there, all the adults went to jail. And that little boy was left without nobody to watch him, you know, nobody to care for him. So they took him in. and a house set abandoned, you know, and once a house gets abandoned and everybody goes to jail, all of the other brothers and friends and all of these guys come and raid that house and steal everything in it. And so it was empty and abandoned and just, you know, sad. So a broken home, a true broken home. And one day that little boy was looking out the window and he was looking over there and he got scared and they noticed him scared of that that house and they said, "What's wrong? What you who's why are you scared?" You know, and he said, "Because that thing is over there, that thing that that that stays there." I seen him. He He was looking at me in that window. And they're like, "What?"
And they they they didn't make him look, but they looked over there. They didn't see nothing, but they remembered what he said. And so sometime later, um, my brother's wife, I want to say, was the first one to see it. They looked over and, "Oh my god, come look at this." And they both looked out and they seen it walking around in there. And it looked like a man walking around, but it had a male appendage for a nose.
That's how its nose looked. like a male reproductive organ was how its nose looked and that scared the hell out of them right now.
Think about that. Think about how these things look because of your actions and what you're doing and the things that you can manifest or even un unleash.
What if that thing was around long time ago, but it never had anything to feed on? All of a sudden, they woke it up and they started feeding it. Right now, that's the same with all of these things. Imagine when you go out into the mountains and you're partying out there, how old the mountains are. You know, these are these are the original, you know, witnesses of history, these mountains. You know, they've been here a long time. And so, when you go out in the mountains and you're thinking you're having fun out there partying, imagine all the things you're waking up. Which leads me into my next story. Um, another one of my friends I grew up without I always called him my brothers. Uh, he passed away. We went to the Marine Corps together and all of this and we met in Camp Pendleton and we'd hang out down there. You know, we we we had a lot of fun together growing up. Well, he ended up uh passing away, but you know, and it was from alcohol. He ended up getting a car accident, which is very common on the wrist. Car accidents take many lives. And this happened to him. What was crazy about that night, just a side story, that night that he wrecked, we were all, this is back in my partying days, we were all at this place called the War Bonnet.
And he was big. He was a big old muscly guy, you know, and uh he was saying, "Hey, Rod." He said, "Come on, man. I know where there's a party, the afterparty. Come with us." And I was with my girlfriend now wife at the time and I was there with her and I told him no. I said or I kept telling him, "Yeah, yeah, I'll go. I'll go." But I was telling my wife, "No, let's not go with him." Because he's already past that point, you know, cuz um he used to get really miserable and tell me, "Rod, I could hurt you." Said, "You could hurt me?" "Well, then hurt me." Like, "Shit, don't talk. Do it then. If you think you're so bad, I don't care how big or bad you think you are, then do it." He he would never do it. He would never cross that line. But that's how it was.
So I didn't want to go around him that night. And so I told my wife, I says, "No, as soon as everybody starts going out that front door, let's go out the back and we'll we'll go to our own cuz she knows some friends where it's going to be mellow and we're going to go to a little afterparty." Well, we go there and go home, go to sleep, you know, pretty uneventful night as far as drama is concerned. Then I get a call at 3:00 in the morning from my sister like, "Yeah, he he's dead." Said, "What?"
Like, "Yeah, he went back to his place.
They were having a little afterparty. He went to town. I don't know what for, but he went back to town and he wrecked down that bridge and that was that." So, again, more more of this tragedy because of alcohol. Well, he was also a pow-wow singer and when he was younger and he used to hit the pow-wow trail going to all these different reses and singing.
He sang with the kicking woman singers.
And when he went to I I just know the name of it, but I don't know the tribe there. The Bonners Fairy is the name of the the Rez and it's it's west of us through the mountains. Well, when they were there, they had a 49. And if people that are listening don't know what that is, it's a it's a gathering where people basically just build a bonfire, you know, and they all go out and they park out in the wilderness away from town, away from everything to go out there and if there are drummers that partake, they'll be out there singing songs and people visit. It's just a party, you know, basically, but kind of with the native spin on it. And um so so they're out there in this place where they always have their 49s and where they're at is a group of trees and it's kind of on this high ground and there's a group a cluster of trees. They got fire up there. They got logs that everybody's sitting on and you know big space for people. Well, there's this little trail that leads off and he said he described there's some more trees over there and that's where people would go to use the bathroom. you know, women would go in groups. Of course, this men would go single over there, you know, and he said, "I went down to use the bathroom and um everybody was just coming back." He says, "And I got there, there was nobody over there." He said, "So, I start using the bathroom." He says, "And uh a guy come from the the woods." He said, you know, he wasn't very tall. Wasn't very tall. He come out. He said, "Hey, what you doing? What you guys What's you guys doing up there?" After he was done using the bathroom, he start talking to him. They walked out those trees a little bit. Oh, nothing. Heck, I'm just new here on Black Feet. I'm not even from here, but you know, we're singing at the Pawa and this and that. Oh, man. That's pretty cool. He says, "Well, hey, man. Like, who's all up there?" And you start telling him who was up there, you know?
And he said, "Well, can I come with you?" Like, he said, "I don't even have anybody out here." So, yeah, come hang with us. Heck, yeah, man. Come on. He was a cool guy. And when they all get up there to that place, he's his friend up there. His name was Martin. And uh he said um say, "Hey, Martin, check out my friend, man. He's pretty cool." Okay.
Followed me up from down at those B down there. And and uh his friend, "Oh, yeah, really?" And he looked over and oh, his face just changed. He just got scared and he looked at looked at that little guy, looked at my friend, and like the whole party just stopped. They all looked at that thing, and they all start running. He's like, "What the hell's going on? like why are you guys running?
And he was that little guy was still standing there. Like why why is everybody running? And he noticed Martin take off. Oh [ __ ] that's my ride. I don't even know where I'm at. So he started chasing Martin. He was behind him. Big crowd of everybody just a stampede and he could keep his eye on his friend and he was chasing him and um he could hear behind him that that little guy. They called him a gutgus, whatever that is. I don't know what that is in their language, but that's what they called it. And it was chasing him.
It was running behind him, but it was using Martin's voice, you know, hey Dwayne, stop. Stop, man. Come back.
But he could see his friend right in front of him. He could see his friend.
So anyways, things like that. Right now, this thing probably is common enough that everybody knows it's there. But imagine the things that you could unleash. You know, just from that last story I was talking about, that that one's ignorant, man. That one's just just horrible. You know, when I think about it, that poor kid having to stay in that house with it all that time. God knows how many times he's seen it. You know, I think about that, it's pretty rough, >> man. Do you think that was like a a little person or dwinde or like a alcohol spirit? party spirit because I know on the um the re like when people party a little too much like over longer than 3 days they're running from some kind of monster that they can see you know or they'll be sitting down and they'll be like shut up be quiet you know they'll be yelling at something that no one can see because there's different places where I go I I notice people are like that talking to something that's not there and like when I really watch them like wow you know this person's either drinks or does drugs and now you know they can't turn that thing off you know something is there with them you know tormenting them um but what do you what do you think that was though that that guy scene >> I think it was an alcohol spirit myself but it could have been their version of a little person that was not good and he's attracted to those things you know and he probably stays around that area that's what I think cuz when I asked him, I said, "Well, what did it look like?" He says, "Man, he's just like a small little guy." He says, "About 4 foot tall, 4 and 1/2t." He wasn't very, very tall. He says, "But he had on a long coat. He had on like this long coat and he had a hat." He says, "But he looked native. He just looked like a regular Indian, but a short guy." And he said, "He was really cool, too, man.
Like, he was he was enjoyable to be around." He said, "That's why I was so confused when everybody ran. I didn't think there was nothing wrong with him.
Said, "But he used me as an inn to get into that party."
The >> party spirit. Wow.
>> Yeah.
>> Wow. Um I know my aunt sometimes she she can see in the supernatural and one time uh we had this one guy that we picked up and we're giving him a ride and he would go outside the house and he would um he would talk to himself, you know. I I'd observe him and he would when he would talk to himself, he face his left shoulder, you know, he'd be like, you see his lip, he walk outside and you can see him walk like 50 yards away. He's turning and his lips is moving and my aunt standing there. She's like, "Oh, I finally know he's talking to." We're looking at him like, "What what do you see? You know, what can you see?"
She's like, there's something sitting on his left shoulder and it's and it has a long hairy right arm and it's going around his head and it and it's holding his right shoulder right here like it's reaching around him, holding him like this and it's looking around, she said, and its face looks like a a combination of a monkey and a pig. And then it would lean down to his to his left ear and whisper things and he would reply.
So, and he was trying to get off of alcohol cuz he was really, you know, rest in peace. Um, that gentleman is no longer here. He um, you know, he he really tried to get sober, but that thing had a grip on him. And you know, a lot of people always would, you know, just just treat him like crap, you know, and then I would listen to him telling his stories. He had amazing stories. He he got chased by Sasquatch around where I come from as well when he's hitchhiking. So, you know, um but yeah, man. But that's just my two cents on that um alcohol party spirit. Um, I have a few more to add to that, but I think those are skinw walkers that always come to the party and then when everyone gets gets drunk, they'll be stomping their feet. It happens in Mon Valley. It happens in Navajo Mountain. I'm pretty sure it happens on other places of the reservation. A guy shows up with cases of booze or fifths and then he would stomp his feet and everyone would look down, turn their light to his feet, and he has a donkey. two donkey feet dumping the ground. He's chasing after everyone while they're hauling ass out of the party. He's running behind them. So, you know that that's that's one of the common occurrences with parties and someone following someone back and saying, "Hey, Yuri, I got some booze.
You know, I got this. I got that. Let's go." And following you, and then before you know it, the whole party splits. So, I I have um I've been through some like that before as well. um supernatural once and uh got chased out a bunch of other times were drama as hell. But um uh Darren, you got anything you want to say? Oh yeah, these the you know these these uh alcohol spirits you know it's it's a I never really thought about how you how you put it there Ron Rob that uh you know that these they had permission to do these you know which is really unique and that you know since you said that you know it took me back to uh you know St. Carlos White Mountains out there. They you know that was that was a ceremonial uh drink. You know that stuff that they were given permission to make and you know partake in that that beverage for a ceremonial purpose. It wasn't to get wild you know it wasn't to you know it how people just drink and drink you know it wasn't for that. It was made for a purpose. So, uh, yeah, these, uh, you know, it's a, it latches on to you, you know, these these alcohol spirits and the alcohol in general latches on to you. Drug use, it latches on to you. And unfortunately, it it stays on you. And, um, most people can't get out of it. You know, that's the sad part of it. And some people, they try and they can't get it. They can't make that a priority. um they can um so that that you know I see that and it you know it's sad it's sad to see the culture slowly depleting just off these alcohol and drugs. I can remember the first time I came across um meth. The first time I was like maybe like junior high when they started talking about it that they that this man used was using his his uh excuse me this might be a bit you know harsh but was using his uh offspring as a battering ram against the police and I was like what and you know it's it's it's it's terrible it's horrible to even say but and you know it even if you look at you know someone drunk you know the drunker they when they walk you know they stumble but Yet they're still rolling around like is this a puppet? You know, is this the the You can see the strings and you can see how limp they go and, you know, their bodies kind of wander around. It's really it's really an odd uh an odd embrace on this alcohol, but you know, I think this is uh to be used out there in the public too for uh you know, out there in the the different nations. You know, it's good to talk about these these foreign uh uh foreign drinks and foreign spirits like these because they weren't they weren't they weren't new, but they were, you know, they were uh weren't abused. You know, it wasn't abused. So, um yeah, as for these, you know, these things also come with bribes. I also know one story that I actually told on TikTok of uh of a prime man that got cursed. Believe it or not, he got cursed and he picked up he picked up a case and he got uh he picked up a spirit with it and that spirit was uh kind of ate the nails and it ate the nails and the toenails and you know to the point where it started eating the body and you know and doesn't that say something about alcohol too?
you know, once you pick it up, you know, it's a curse amongst itself and it it it eats you. It eats you from the inside out and uh you know, it only comes to, you know, it's a steel um and to kill, you know, unfortunately, it's uh but it's a unknown object, you know, unknown foreign spirit out here and there's no words for it, you know. I I can't really explain it myself when you talk about it, you know, like what do what is this uh what is this, you know, and even if for your Bible users, you know, out there in Proverbs, they couldn't they couldn't um even the wisest men couldn't describe what it was, what it is, you know, all they said was they just get up and go try to find more of it, you know. And that's that's as more that's as all they got as these wise men went is they couldn't explain it, you know, this addiction addicts, you know, and uh it it really is taking uh havoc at the the nations out there, too. So, it's good to talk about this, you know, it's good to embrace it, you know, embrace the conversation, healthy conversation.
And um you know, the Navajo Nation out here, they're it is what was the word for it? They they don't sell alcohol on our our nation out here, but you know, people still manage to find a way to get it. So, uh but yeah, um you know, it's it's a tough subject to talk about, you know, but I think it is well should be embraced to be talked more about it, you know. So besides the uh you know the spooky aspect of it and you know you get the spirituality you get to you know talk more about this subject.
So um yeah as for this yeah it comes with a curse too. So um maybe later on I'll talk more about that curse that that that man went through. He's he's no longer here either too. So he he was uh killed by this this alcohol. So um so these uh spirits I wonder you know I think it's called like a flesheating spirit I think it's form of alchemy you would say so uh yeah as for this I'm all ears you know whatever you guys want to talk more about on this one on this alcohol spirit you know and also the uh loss and the generation purposes you know so um Yeah.
>> Um, hey Rod. Um, Rod, do you um, so what do you think about um, do you think places hold hold on to trauma?
>> Yeah. Yeah, I do.
>> Like, okay. So, so this is one right here. Um, here was an old bar called Minyard's Bar in Browning. And I mean, it's not even there anymore. It was this old old place. And uh I want to say when I was really young, it was still up, but it was all condemned and kind of, you know, falling apart. Well, my mother-in-law was talking about this and she said one of her friends, I want to say it was one of those spotted eagle boys. Um he was just heading home and he was sick. You know, Browning is the town where all the surrounding communities go to hang out on the streets and bum and get alcohol and stuff. The ones that do do that, we just call them street people. And so he was a street person, but he actually lived way out in Hart.
And he had enough. So he was sick enough that he was already ready to go home, you know, and so he was trying to find a ride back out. It's like 20 28 miles out, 26 28 miles out. So something you don't want to walk when you're sick and he was going across the street just passing that that bar right there, the old bar. It wasn't running at the time.
And one of his partners come up and he said, "Um, hey." He says, "Um, help me.
Help me drink this bottle. I just got one, man. Come drink it with me." He says, "No, man. I'm too sick. Heck, I don't want it, man. I'm trying to find a ride out." He says, "Come on. It'll be all right. Just just drink it with me, then you can head out." He said, 'All right. He says, 'Well, where are we going to go?
He says, 'I know we can go in there into this old vineyard's bar. He says, ' That's where I go. So, all right. So, they they climb in through the window and you know, it's all broken windows.
They climb in. It's kind of like a a box. They were in one corner and there's a hallway. It kind of leads out to a hallway back here. Over on this side was dark. They couldn't really see in that little corner right there, but they were opposite over here. And as they were sitting there drinking, he he he kept hearing something across there and he couldn't tell where it was coming from. Here it was in that darkness he was hearing talking over there. And uh he kept looking over there and he'd drink some more and he'd look over there some more. Next thing you know, he seen something in the darkness and he said, "Look." And his partner put his bottle down and he started looking over there with him. Soon as they did, this cat stepped out a little further.
It was a cat. And that cat said, "Get the f out of here. I told you guys. I told you not to be around here." You know, and the spotted eagle, he just he quit drinking. He totally sobered up after that. That really changed him, you know. It scared him so bad that he he ran out of there, you know. And his buddy acted like he knew it cuz he was telling him, "Oh, don't worry about him.
just ignore him. He always does that, you know, that was his attitude.
So when I think about that bar and those areas, yes, even even a bar, right, it holds this negativity there. They probably sit there and wait just wait for somebody to come back, you know, and then then they wake up, you know, they come back out. And as far as like you know like of course battlefields things like that and people say oh there's an Indian burial ground is really haunted. There's whole nation's Indian burial ground. Think about how many natives are buried on this whole place. Unmarked graves. We don't even know about them anymore. Thousands of years old. This whole place is an Indian burial ground.
>> So I mean it really doesn't matter where you're at for something to come out.
That's the caution I have for people is, you know, if you do do that, you do partake in alcohol, always go to the places where nothing happens. You know, that's the least you could do. Never, never go, if you're a female, never go alone with boys. You know that, you know, things like that. Never get into a car that doesn't have a designated driver because those spirits are there waiting for that. They can even influence things to happen like that.
So, always stay where you're safe.
Family is where you're going to be safe.
If you have family, that's normal, you know. Always be around the safe people, no matter who they are, and you'll you'll always be okay. And stay the hell away from cars. Just walk. If it comes down to it, you know, if it's safe, just walk with a group of friends to the next wherever you can get a ride from someone sober. But, um, yeah, I really do think that these things hold on. I mean when you think about sacred sites too those are really powerful and those hold everything right there's a lot in there so yes I think a lot of this can be held in the land itself and I think that's where a lot of these spirits come from is the land itself you know the and then see the other thing is though is um well before I get into this next spiel do you have any more questions Don that model to ask.
>> Oh, yeah. Yeah. Um I I do have questions, but I think those ones um you pretty much answer because uh one of the questions uh when um let's see here. I wrote it down here. Let me find it right here. Um I was just uh going to ask like do you think these um these dark entities feed off of fear? And um another question, another thing too that you you covered as well um I was going to ask was um I know that when people do get in the um intoxicated, you know, there's things that jump inside of them and things that I've noticed and that I've I've I've w I've experienced myself is that, you know, things jump inside of you. You know, some of some things might want to might want to dance, some things might want to fight and some of them might want to just talk and some just, you know, you just end up crying and I was at a bar one time and I got into a fight and I got stabbed three times and barely made it to the the hospital. Lost so much blood. But that same bar where I got stabbed at, so many people died there from stabbing, gunshots, getting beat to death right in front where I got stabbed. So, you know, things do really do record what happened. And there's things that will wait for you to get intoxicated so they can jump inside of you just to experience the human pleasures, you know, because there's things out there that there's beings out there that are in another realm, in another dimension that cannot come here to our dimension to experience this temporary feeling that we are feel feeling right now that we are experiencing right now. this human experience because one day we're going to go out there. We're going to leave this body forever and you know maybe we'll go back to the big bang. You know like the first world everything was dark. The first world was a dark world.
So that goes all the way to the big bang and we're all spread out. We're all brought here. Do you know who really knows the answers to all that? But um um but uh go ahead. Go ahead. Oh yeah. Uh, there's this one question here from one of the viewers that backed up what we're talking about earlier, so I thought we just throw this in and I'll let you cook again. Rod, >> Crazy Coyote 1313 says, "Uh, can confirm there's a ghost/ poltergeist of a drunken lady. She haunts her old house on Route 15 going to Greasewood, my old hometown, Hullbrook, Arizona. a lot of ghosts because of old bars there. And the train that ran through there lost many relatives to the train because they were drunk.
Sorry for your losses, crazy coyote.
Condolences, brother.
But um um yeah, I think yeah, go ahead, Rodney.
Go ahead. It's all you now.
>> That's a good little segue what you were talking about with uh passing away and stuff. So what happens when you pass away when you're when you're drunk or anything like that? Well, a number of things can happen, right? So ultimately we all go back we all go back to whatever you want to call it to to sand hills to heaven to you whatever happy hunting grounds back to the light to the source whatever we all eventually go back we we don't ever stay here forever you know as our spirits we always go back to that sapastipe you the source of life we all go back to that eventually so ultimately When you go back, you're okay. It's like it's like passing away from cancer. You go on that side and you're healed.
Everything's okay. We're back to the way we originally are as spirits. That that's our real life, you know? That's that's the future world we go back to, which is actually the past when you think about it. But, um, we go back to that. So, we don't Your body might have been drunk, but your spirit's not. So that's that's a good thing about it.
There there is a happy ending to even the most tragic stories here. So keep that in mind if you had people that have passed from this and we all know those people. My dad is one of them. So we all know this, right? But that's what happens in the end. They get healed and they're okay. You know, they they look in on us and they like when we talk about the funny times that we had with them. If you can invoke others laughter and with stories about them, they really like that because the minute we're talking about them or we hear them, I mean, we're thinking about them, they hear us and they're right there. They they know. And so that's why when we're telling these stories, I always have my smudge with me. I never ever tell stories without it. It's like a little barrier. But anyways, um, so before you actually make it back, eventually before you make it back, you can be trapped. You can be stuck. And there's an old story of when this woman, she passed away. And this was like in the depression era, and I don't remember the names. Um, she passed away. and they called in all the holy people to come in and try to help her to revive her and they were successful.
They they end up bringing her back. Um but this is uh this is a really it's got to do with medicine too, right? The the medicine that he sought out. And in lie of telling it wrong, I'll just I'll just skip to the end because I don't fully remember it. Well, anyways, um, when she came back, he had restrictions on what he could do. He couldn't strike her or anything like that. You know, there was there was a few others that he couldn't do. So, we had to live just a certain way or else what they did would be undone. But what really stood out to me is when she came back, he asked her, "Where did you go when when you died before they brought you back? Where did you go?" And she said, "Oh, I just went to the to these old, you know, those houses that were all busted down my family that ain't standing anymore."
Well, on that side, they're all still standing. And I went there. I went to my family and I was living with them. I was going to stay with them. And then I got called back here. But that always stood out to me. So when you're when you do pass, what happens if you're like that? You might go back to where you realized safety or where you were comfortable. But see that's here. That's here. Like you're you're what I'm saying is it's your consciousness from here. It's not your consciousness from there. Now what's the difference? Well, here we have all these things. We have family, we have houses, we have this, that, and the other. All these earthly things. When you're over there, you have more of an understanding of everything.
You know why babies die? You know why all of these things happen and and it's all natural. You have this greater awareness, this this greater consciousness because it's it's plugged back in to the mass consciousness that every life form is. Every life form, I'm talking every pebble, every blade of grass, every planet, every last minuscule stardust has a life force in nature. And we all go back to that same mass consciousness together, right? But before that can happen, if you've died suddenly, it could be from anything, not just alcohol or or drugs or violence or anything like that. You can become stuck. And when you don't shed your earth conscious, you kind of get bound here, bound somewhere here. And the longer you stay, the more frustrated you become, the more bad you become. The more you scare people and things like that. You might not even mean to, but by by that point, you're so frustrated like, where do I go? What do I do?
Nobody hears me. How do I get your attention? You know, I'm suffering here.
I'm alone. I'm scared. Like, what do I do? But eventually those people make it over. But when we know in our in our tribe when we know if someone's died in a really horrible way or like especially with alcohol or we hear of stories of them coming and trying to talk to people, you know, things like that, that's when the ceremonies start for them. That's when they're sent over, you know, and what h it could happen in a number of ways. We all can do it ourselves, you We can pray them over ourselves. Each one of us can do that.
It's just a matter of is somebody going to do it? Do you know that you even have to do it? That's the problem. They're suffering and nobody even knows. So, I would say it's just good to pray for all of them. I do when I when I see things like that happen. So, for instance, this kid, we were going out to Hart and uh boy, it was bad. It was a bad accident.
But um man, we tried to save him. We tried to save that poor kid, man. God, we just couldn't.
So I go back to the vehicle and my wife stays there with and she's a nurse and I'm just helping with whatever I can and it was cold and he was laying there and he was dying.
And I go back cuz I I knew, man, like there's nothing anymore we could do. So, I go back to my car with the kids and and I just started praying for him, you know, just and and how I how I do it when when that happens. Um, well, for one, I I'll take out all my sacred objects and I'll call on all all my helpers to help me, but I didn't have any of that there. But I still called on, you know, any spirit that I could, especially the creator. And I talked to him after I called in all all talked to all of the spirits first. Then I talked to him and I told him I said, "Look, you died. We tried saving you. It was an accident.
Don't don't feel bad because where you're going, a lot of us that are still alive wish we could be there because we know we've traveled there before. our spirits have and and we came back with the knowledge of it. So don't feel bad, don't feel sad, just let everything go here and whatever spirit comes for you or whatever you're drawn to with that light, just go to it, you know, don't look back and don't worry, you know, how whatever happens here is whatever happens here and we'll get through it.
It'll it'll help us grow along the way.
don't don't worry about whatever is going to be here, you know, what you leave behind. And so that's how I was speaking to him. But my wife had this dream. And in this dream, he came to her and cuz my wife really tried hard to save him, too. And he came to her in this dream and basically said, "I was lost, but now I'm not, and thank you."
Right? I I I don't remember the details of it but that was the basic message that he give her. So with him I think his passing he was lucky that he had people to to to speak on his behalf to the creator and everybody to try and help him because in our way those spirits they just can't come out and and help you out of the kindness of their heart. There are spirits like that, don't get me wrong.
But when you're seeking something out like that, it's usually you have to go and ask. You have to, you know, seek it out. You can't just um hope it happens.
You have to approach him and those spirits that especially the great spirit and ask for his, you know, help this way, focus here, help here, you know, things like that. So I think he was lucky that he had a few of us there that were willing to pray like that.
>> Now another situation is somebody that has rights to a ceremony or something.
And they'll have that ceremony for him.
And once they do that and all those spirits, same thing. They all get called in with all their sacred objects, you know, this different songs calling different ones and and then they send them over, you know, that way is really powerful, too. Because when I think about that type of ceremony, usually a sweat. And when I think about that that way, I think um I think of a little kid who's been lost in the woods for a long long time to where they're starving. They didn't have any water. They're raggy, their clothes, they're dirty, and all of a sudden they see an adult who's a really good person.
They're really like a park ranger. and they just get this excitement and they're happy that somebody finally found them. That's how I always think about that because of the spirits that they have and in a lot of these bundles, a lot of these songs, these rights that they have, these are some powerful spirits, you know, and and just for instance, one of them that I know about a really powerful spirit. I don't want to say too much about it, but um I don't even want to say its name, but you know, cuz they all have names like just like we do. But this one, imagine a a giant buffalo. A giant buffalo. I'm talking hoofs like this round. Giant so big that it eats trees.
Imagine that coming for you when you pass. And it's speaking to you like, "Come on now, it's time to go." and the feeling it would give you because it's so powerful. That's what I think about.
So, there are a few things we can do when people pass, right? We we there's things we can do to help them, but a lot of times nobody helps them and they're stuck and they become like hauntings.
So this girl, young girl too, man, like 15 or something young.
They were all drinking and they were in a truck and they went up on the side of this hill. They were just trying to turn around and leave that spot, but when they went up, they rolled and that vehicle crushed her and she passed away.
Well, that that was horrible, man. That was like really bad. that that that really hit the community hard and everybody felt so bad and it was just a tragedy, you know, and my brother was walking and his his uh firstborn child was just a young one yet. So, they had her in a stroller and they were walking by that junkyard where they piled all these vehicles like that.
And as they were walking by, there's a chain link fence you can see through it and then it's just regular fence that you can't see through. And that drivethru where they pull in was the chain link and they're they're walking through there. Well, he glances over just as he was getting to that fence where he can't see. He glanced over and he seen before he went to that fence a man sitting in the driver's side with a hat on, like a cowboy hat sitting there in the driver's side. And the truck's roof was caved in like this.
That girl that wrecked was sitting in there like that all busted this way.
Like her head was just totally, you know, busted like that. Well, he stopped and he backed up and he asked his wife, "Did you see that?" She glanced over and seen it too as they went by it. But when they went back to look, it wasn't there.
They were gone. But it was that truck that she wrecked in. Well, sometime later, it must have been Oh, gez, about a year roughly, year or two later, my sister-in-law was out there in that place where that girl wrecked. Not at that place, but in that community. That place was a little west of the community up on these hills. You can see them from the like kitchen window, all the houses.
You can see that area. But they were at a house near there. And this girl pulled up and there was like I want to say there was two of them. Two of them that pulled up in this van and my sister-in-law was outside. She was outside standing there smoking cigarettes. And when they pulled up, uh, those two got off and they started coming. Oh, how you guys doing? They're doing all right. Yeah, come on in. You know, just talking. And they said, "Well, ain't you going to have your friend come in?" Cuz my sister-in-law and them, they seen three people in there, but there was only two. And when they they said, "Well, wait, no, there's only us two. Like, who are you guys talking about?" They start getting scared. It's like, "No, there's three sheep still sitting in there. Are you guys going to go get her? Like, go get her. Oh, these guys are you're rude."
They're like, "No, no, there's like nobody with us." So they all start looking in there. Man, it was that girl that wrecked. She was still trying to party with people, still hanging on, following people. And I think somebody eventually had ceremony for her. I think um if I if I remember right, Arlon Pox was talking about that. I think somebody might have had a ceremony for her by now. But anyways, they they stay, you know, depending on on what it is. And in this case, alcohol, like the topic we're on. Those are the things that can happen when you pass. But like I said, don't let that fear you because that's what they want. They want fear. They want suffering. That's what they eat. You know, there's like us, we can we can take food and then we have an energy transfer there and that'll sustain us.
They can't eat. They need different energies and and you know the good ones you know they obviously it's all good energy that they sustains them. Well these bad ones these negative ones they've found out that there's there's negativity that they can they can eat to sustain. And in order to do it they have to influence these bad things you know like that cat. Why would the cat tell them get the f out of here you know and appear as a cat?
Why would it take that form, that spirit, and do that? That that's what I think. And it's be to scare them.
>> You know, for one, they have the alcohol and it's to scare them. Maybe it was trying to get them to hurt themselves on the way out, to run out of there really fast and get hurt. Maybe it was to continue the hangover, you know, don't drink in here, keep suffering because I like that. No, who knows? But yeah, this this is a is a very broad topic when you speak about alcohol spirits. The other thing um well, let's just pause there and then I'll I'll continue. Is there any questions or anybody want to add?
>> Um I'm glad that guy kick that guy's ass. going back to your older your earlier stories kicking that guy's butt because um you know with one of the things that um the boarding schools brought is uh one of the traumas that it brought is one of those um sexual perversions you know the where you know a lot of the kids that went over there they had you know the nuns and the priests touch on them you know a lot of bad things happened to them and you know they came back to the reservations and brought that with them, you know, along with all the other ghosts that we have running on our reservations alongside the road, you know, and it it it passes on. It keeps going on. And when when some when someone when when that happens to somebody, you know, that person is going to keep continuing on, you know, that's one of the things that really um plagues the reservations as well. And if we all can, you know, go back to our roots, you know, first things that I would recommend, you know, if you were a male, you know, a lot of the tribes, the first, uh, you know, like a lot of us Native Americans now this day and age that we all didn't go through the right of passage to be a man in this world.
You know, there's ceremonies to become a man. when you when you first hit puberty, you know, for us Navajo, we're supposed to sweat and we're supposed to split with the men with the older men, you know, in the sweat lodge. Then when we become a warrior, that's another that's another whole deal. Then the same thing with the female, you know, they have their kin da they have their ceremonies, you know, in order to walk this world. And you know, that's what the boarding schools took away from us.
And that's one of the things that I've done, you know, when I hit 21, when I was 21 years old, I I went back to my roots, you know, to try to stop the drinking, just to try to stop, you know, all the drug all the drug use. And, you know, I got into selling that one time as well. You know, I I was dealing with a lot of bad things and a lot of weight on my shoulders. And one of the best things that I done was, you know, go back, you know, go back to, you know, to get to know who you are.
Because when you're running around this whole world, you know, everywhere is your home. As long as you know who you are, where you come from, in your language, and you take your family and your past loved ones with you everywhere you go, and you know, they're there.
They're watching us. Um, that's one of the things I wanted to add into there.
Um, Darren, do you have anything you want to add before we let Rod cook again?
>> Yeah, the the old uh generational uh, you know, curse. You can see it's you can see it in movies, you know. I I think um res reservation dogs did a pretty good one with the it was a generational you know u bondage that she that goat goat lady the goat woman dear woman was uh was displaying you know all the hurt from the boarding schools and all that you know the pain that the people were suffering you know she she was you know she was depicted as bad but I like how they they put her dear woman in this one and also you know another movie it you know the new one, the the little series, the generational curse, you know, generational grudge or, you know, how however you want to put it that you know, this it this clown character um he he you know, he he picks what scares you most, you know, as when it came down to the Native Americans right there, it was the church, it was the pope, you know, when they seen so when that clown dressed up like the priest and was actually and everybody was scared you know like uh you know it's it's it's hard to explain you know when you know you picture the America they picture Christ you know they see the allloving God you know the all loving son you know but that was never shown you know sadly enough that part was never shown to the Native Americans and you know they were once they seen that they were they were they ran because you know they they weren't good So, you know, that's all the generational things, you know, and that's all, you know, right now we're just trying to still we're still beating that, you know, we're still fighting against it.
Uh, and you know, they or my parents suffered, you know, their parents suffered and, you know, it's a generational thing and I'm next in line.
So the best thing we can do is uh you know talk like this and break these uh you know these these curses especially for the broader audience out there you know have them uh you know especially the non-natives you know give them a let us tell you about it you know let us tell you about how it is and what it what it's like you know instead of u you know reading a book and say oh yeah well well it stays right here you like no no that's that's not how that's you that's written history. Most of the history of the Native Americans were never written down and there was always talked, you know, it was always spoken one to another, you know. So that that's one uh thing I always wanted to do. And even when you talk when I when I listen listen to you, you know, your uh podcast, Rod, you know, you talk about these alcohol spirits and I just always wanted to, you know, bring that that topic up and, you know, the these spirits like this and uh you know, now it's done and I'm pretty sure it's not complete yet. So, uh you know, let's uh let's keep it rolling, dude. Let's keep it rolling. Before we go, Raleigh, can you uh remind everyone where they can find you?
>> Yeah, I'm on uh Spotify. It's Logales podcast. I'm on Spotify and Spectre Vision Radio. That's where I always say to go there first. But yeah, there's Spectrovision Radio. There's Spotify. Um Audible, it's on there. Anywhere you get podcast, YouTube, and uh also there's a website, lodgetales.com.
All the the episodes are posted there as well. But um if you want the bonus episodes, that's a patronon thing. So you got to become a member there. It's five bucks. You know, do your little binge and then unsubscribe. You know, it's that simple. And then wait for more. That's what I always say. You don't have to stay subscribed every month if you don't want to. But yeah, that's where I'm at.
>> Nice. Awesome. Awesome. Thank you. Thank you. Um one of the um I had a question here. I'm trying to find it. I'm I have a bunch of notes here. Um Oh, yeah. Is there um is there like any stories that um during your podcasting is there any stories that was told to you that you're hesitant on sharing with the public?
>> Yeah. Um the one that I was hesitant was that one with that that sex spirit or that thing. I don't know what that is.
when my brother spoke about it, he referred to it in the non-native way. He said a sex demon. So, I I don't know that one. I'm always kind of hesitant to talk about, but um you know, I rarely tell those stories. And also, I had a couple experiences that I've never told that I'm hesitant about, you know, aside from the podcast. But as far as the podcast goes, um, you know, because it's on a podcast and I have permission of the folks to to publish these stories, I I've pretty much put it all out there. There's nothing I've really edited out as far as a whole story because it was too intense or anything like that. The Goatman terrorizes a family. That one I had to put a disclaimer in front of, you know.
I I warned people like, man, if you got kids, put them to bed before you listen to this one. This one's pretty rough at times, so be prepared. You know, that was the only one. But yeah, if anybody's interested in that story, it's about a woman where the goatman followed her from Arizona all the way up to Alaska and terrorized him in Alaska. It's a rough one, man. It's rough. But um one story that comes to mind as far as my personal side that I've I don't think I've ever told on here um anywhere is um and I'll do it here. I'm always giving you kind of first crack at things it seems like. But hey, we help each other.
>> Oh yeah.
>> Appreciate So when I got out of the Marines, I joined the Arctic Infantry up in Alaska. And one day I got a DUI.
And it was baloney how I got it.
Somebody stole my car. I had a designated driver. We went into the store. Someone stole my car. I end up getting the car back cuz the guy who stole it just drove around the block and I jerked him out and I didn't beat him up but I jerked him out and I got in to repark and my designated driver was still in a store and I got a DUI. I was it was baloney but anyways they didn't have a county jail kind of thing up there so they had this um correctional facility.
I I went to prison for three days in Fairbanks, Alaska when we had a 4-day weekend. our first four day weekend as ordered to report to prison.
So, I'm in there with a bunch of Eskimos at the Baskins and there's a few non-natives in there, but it was really chill. I I got to stay in this little camping area. I don't know, we had TV.
It was just boring more than anything.
But, um when I first got there, I was getting food and and as I was getting the food, I look up and it's one of my friends from Chamo Indian School. I look at it. He looks at me and he says, "Rod like, oh [ __ ] blue sky, what the hell are you doing here?" He's like, "Man, what are you doing here?" Like, "Oh man, I was feeling bad. I got I got to stay here three days, man." He just bust out laughing at me. And he said, "Man, I got seven years. I don't even want to hear it, bro."
You know, he goes, "I'm I'm close to my end, but I had seven years sentence here." He says, "I'm really close to getting out." He says, "In about another six months or so." I holy [ __ ] I was just thinking about that. But anyways, that same guy we end up meeting again when he got out out in the bars and stuff and uh another friend from Chima came and I I kind of got around them.
Well, anyways, one weekend he said, "Hey, come out. Uh we're going to be at this motel. Me and a bunch of other, you know, people from Arctic Village and Vinnie Thai, you know, the Atabaskcan crowd." All right. Yeah, I'll come out.
And and so I went out with them and to this little hotel and it was just like a bunch of, you know, older people than us. We were basically just kids at the time, you know, in our our 20s, mid20s.
And as I'm sitting there, I kept looking over toward that bathroom because it was like again like a square room, but on this side was a little hallway that attached to a bathroom. and we're all in this. There's a bed and I'm sitting over here in this corner and I keep looking that way because I I kind of got a idea of who is all there. I didn't really know them all. But we're visiting and telling stories. You know how it is when you're partying and I keep seeing some like a shadow. I can't really see them, but the shadow I could see their their shadow off of the onto the wall and they would move around over there and I just kept wondering who the hell that was. Finally, I just I didn't even pay no mind. And I'm sitting there with my head down listening to a story.
I remember feeling like, heck, man, should I head out? I was thinking, I should just head out. I'm probably about ready to, you know, get on out of here, I was thinking. But I look I look over finally and I see this person sitting there with their back facing me on the other side of the bed. And uh they it's like they just woke up cuz they look shaggy. Black pair but shaggy.
And it's kind of sitting like at his elbows on his knees kind of looking that way. And I looked at him and I was thinking what the hell is that? or who is that? Because it it didn't seem right, man. Like something spider sense is whatever was going off and I wasn't getting a good feeling about him.
Next thing you know, man, I I I started getting more drunk. I just kept drinking and I got more drunk. And that's when he turned around. He turned around and he had this smile that he would smile all the time. Like this really ugly smile.
wasn't too like nonhuman, but it was an ugly smile that he would like evil.
And he would look right in the face of one of those people. Like I remember this lady was sitting there clo on that side of the bed and he was kind of on his other side of the bed, but he would as he was sitting there he would just look right into her side of her face like that and smile big like really big.
And then he would look at me like that.
And when he looked at me that first time like that, I jumped. I said, "Yo, man, who the," you know, I was cussing, "Who the f is that?" Like, "Who is that?" I stood up. I was like, I was going to fight. Like, man, this guy's Something's wrong with him, man. And all of those people just looked at me like, "Dude, you need to get your friend out of here. He's tripping out."
Like, they didn't see that person sitting there. Well, they didn't see him, but he was in that room with us. So finally, man, I I sat I was like, "All right, all right." Cuz I seen what was happening and I I felt I don't know. I felt somehow I I just sat there. I felt like I was being outcast or something.
So I didn't want to say anything else.
And and I didn't want to embarrass my friend cuz he brought me there. And so finally, um I just keep my head down. I don't want to look over. I'm kind of looking, there's a window here and I'm kind of like looking down at the floor and at the window. I don't want to look in that room and I keep thinking, man, we need to go. But wait, I don't even know where we're at. Like I cuz I didn't know where we was at. I knew that hotel area, but I didn't know how to get back and I didn't have a ride. I went my, you know, my friend, I met him out past the gate and he picked me up. So, I didn't really know how to get back. I wasn't familiar with the city just yet cuz I had just got up there. You It wasn't long. About a year I've been there. And so I didn't mean, you know, I never really drove around out there or anything, but so I was kind of worried and also didn't want to embarrass. I had reasons why I stayed. And finally, I remember kind of looking back into the room and man, this thing would just go to people to people to people like that.
He wouldn't even get up and walk normal.
He just kind of appear here and appear there, appear here. Just kept doing that and it scared the living [ __ ] out of me, man. Sorry for cussing, but I was scared of it. And finally, I I started screaming. I was like, "Hey, hey, man.
That thing needs to go." You You know, like that woman on the airplane.
>> That's how I was, man.
>> Yeah, that thing is not right, man.
There's something wrong with this person. And there was nobody there.
Finally, this old man kind of spoke up.
He's like, "Hey, Blue Sky, man, I don't think you should bring your friend back around here anymore." And so, I left.
And by the time I sobered up, I realized, man, those people have something around them and they don't even know it's there, man. Like, they have no idea what they're partying with, but I seen it.
>> So, anyways, there you go. I've never told that story because it I don't know.
It it shook me up and it kind of I guess on some level embarrasses me too that I allowed myself to get like that and be in a spot like that. But, I don't know that that was one that I didn't Was that your first Oh, yeah man. Glad you're okay though. But um you kind of covered with that. The next question, the followup one was uh what was your first um encounter or your first experience where it really woke you up to knowing that the other side is real and the spirits that we can't see are real. Where did it make you realize it?
I mean, I should say >> I was just a little kid and it was the owl speaking black feet. Remember that story? That was the first time. And I think everybody's heard that story.
>> Did we cover it on your last your previous episodes we did? Yeah.
>> Your first >> Yeah.
>> But thinking about like in the context of alcohol, the first paranormal experience I had that really woke me up to their power was after my grandpa had passed. This was about, let's see, I want to say my grandpa passed in 200 one.
Yeah, somewhere in there. Well, this was about 2004 roughly. And I was home. I was back home. I had gotten out of the military and everything. Uh, and I was staying with my dad at his house. that house full of alcohol spirits. But I was staying with him and I remember we just had like a 18 pack and we're drinking beer and I said uh we were just visiting and finally I heck man I just couldn't quit thinking about my grandpa. I was still mourning him, you know, after all that time and I thought well I said dad I'm going to go over to the campgrounds. It's just across the street past the museum. uh parking lot and stuff. And uh I said, "Dad, I'm going to go over there and and I'm going to go into those uh announcer stand where grandpa used to always sit." I said, "I'm going to go over there and I'm going to set this all down. That'll be it. I'll quit feeling bad about him and everything." And he says, "All right."
And this was, you know, we had been drinking before this, but this was like our last 18 pack. And I reach in there and I grab I grab one so I could walk over with it. And it was dark. It was at night. Um, must have been about midnight or so. And when I reach in there, there was three.
So, I took one. There should been two left. And I I head out. I go back over and and I'm in that arbor and stuff. You know, I do my little thing there. And I tell my grandpa, "All right, that's it.
I'm done with this. I'm not carrying this anymore. You know, I'm going to let it go." And so I came back, you know, and I I remember keeping my can because I didn't want to litter, but I had drank it up by the time I come back. And I cross that street and I go back into the house. I put the can in the trash and my dad's still sitting there where he was at. And so I open that fridge and I reach in there and I grab another one out of there. And when I first went over, I must have mistaken because, you know, there wasn't there wasn't just two in there. There was still three. So, I must have mistaken what I what I grabbed. I must have not have, you know, reached. I don't know. I must not have reached far enough in. I just thought there was, you know, a few in there. But there was still three. So, I figured my dad must have grabbed a couple or something cuz there was three. And so, I sit down and I'm I'm drinking that one, right? And my dad and I are still visiting. And, you know, we kind of get off the subject of being sad and we're starting to tell funny stories and stuff. And so I get up and I'm thinking, well, I'll have one last one and that'll be it. I'll go to bed. And I reach in there, but there's still three in there.
There's still three brew. They keep reappearing. And that's when I realized at first cuz when I reached in there, that third, there should have been nothing in there. There was still three.
And I I slammed that door and I left that can in there and I backed up. I said, "Dad, there's still three in there." Like, "There shouldn't be." He said, 'What? I said, 'There's still three beers in there. They they keep reappearing. I don't know how it's happening, but it is. And I was scared because I knew there's a bunch of alcohol spirits in his house. And And he says, "Hey, wait." He says, "When you headed over," he said, "I reached in there and I and I took one." Cuz he still had his one. He says, "I took one and I stashed it for a sick beer." He'd call it for the morning. He said, "So there should only been one. And when you got back, you said there was still three in there. And then you drank one and there was still three in there. You know, we start figuring it out. And that's when I realized, oh my god, man, these these things are powerful. They can do this. I've heard stories about it and it's really happening, man. Like, God, it's really it's real. And so my dad um he said he always told jokes to, you know, mask any sort of, you know, anything bad. He always tried to tell jokes like a defense mechanism. Well, he made the joke. See, cuz my other cousin was laid out. They're all alcoholics. He was laid out in that other room. He was hung over and he was sleeping it off.
And he says, "Well, I tell you what." He says, "Let's just drink these and if we uh dig back in there and there's still more," he says, "We'll just spill it all out." He says, "Either that or we'll wake up Greg and have him help us kill these off. They just keep reappearing, you know."
So, I mean, that's kind of how my dad took that, but not me, man. I was shocked that whole night. I thought about that. And I thought about that because the story that always stuck with me was the when my aunt told me um my great uncle who was a holy man. He um >> he was he was a you know, a Korean War veteran and he drank a lot, you know, in his younger days. Um, well, my when my grandpa went to sober him up, you know that there was still alcohol. He spilled all the alcohol, cleaned his house, he was laid out in that room, and when he finally woke him up, he says, "Go get that bottle on my table." He says, "I'll go with you to town, but get that bottle." He says, "There's no bottle. I I spilled everything out. I know all your hiding places. I did your dishes. I cleaned everything. It's going to be good. I'm taking you to town. It's sober up.
There's no bottle." He says, "Yeah, that man brings me one every day. It's right on that table. So, he goes out there and sure enough, there's a brand new bottle.
Brand new bottle. My grandpa cleaned that table. Everything. There was nothing on the table but that bottle.
And that kind of freaked out my grandpa.
But my grandpa just spilt it all out, too. And he says, "Ah, bullsh, you know, bologoney. You're coming to town." And so, he made him go to town. But though, that was those alcohol spirits knowing that he was going to become a really powerful holy man, heal a lot of people.
He's known all over in the north up here. Still to this day, people talk about him. You know, different tribes.
Recently, I heard a Mandan, a Ricarra and Haidata man talk about him. I've heard Crees talk about him. You know, I've heard a lot of different tribes he was known. And so, they knew he was going to become this really powerful holy man and they were trying to keep him drunk. Right now, that's the other part. Most of the people that get on the red road and they they follow the path and they get, you know, certain rights to medicines and things like that and they're doing good. Uh it seems like a lot of us all started with, you know, really rough lives. Um alcohol especially. And we were all drunks at one point in our lives and we've all come come back around and we left that and we've following a higher path now. So for the people that struggle with the alcohol, just to remember that when we're at ceremonies and we see people coming in and we know they've been drunk a long time, we get happy to see you, man. like we get happy to see you and we'll do anything to help you along your path. Um there was a guy that come he used to he was an older guy that used to always drink with my dad. My dad had I mean he had stories party stories of my dad when we were at the Sundance and he was at that time I was talking to him he was like a year sober and you could tell he was you know one of those old guys that are coming off of it. I mean even even then you could just tell they got a certain way about him. I recognize it from my dad, but um I could tell. And so the next year come he who was two years sober and he's just constantly doing that and man he's so anyways one day I I end up gifting him something and and I think because people are helping him in all these ways not just you know by being kind and including them and everything but also giving them things that'll help them in their lives. I think I think that's what everybody has to look forward to. So, a lot of people might be on drugs or alcohol and they're afraid to go to these ceremonies. All you got to do is sober up for four days. That's the only thing in our way you got to do. You have to be sober for four days. Once you hit that four day, man, go to a ceremony.
Just suck it up for four days. Anything you got to do, then hit that ceremony.
Once you do, you're inviting them, the good ones, into your life, and it can erase all these attachments that are around you. And really, how that manifests is bad luck that you have these attachments. It's bad luck after bad luck. Just a series of unfortunate events in your life. You ever notice the ones that are addicts and alcoholics, there's always some kind of drama every time they show up. Oh, my car broke down. Man, I need five bucks for this.
Oh, this happened. Man, my wife got beat up. She's in jail. It's always like that. And that's why because those things are attached to you. Now, when you switch that and you go back to the ceremony, all of those good things are around you and all these good things start happening to you. You know, it it's just a change of, you know, the the spiritual forces that are around you.
Really, that's kind of what it boils down to. But what's more about it is the more you hear your your traditional stories, how did this bundle come to be? How did the Sundance come to be? You know, how did how did this happen? When you start at ceremonies is when you hear these stories and that's where you have to go to get them. Like Darren was saying, a lot of this is still word of mouth to this day. and you'll start hearing them and then you start noticing, hey, for every situation in your life, it doesn't matter what it is. It could be um uh geez, your brother stole your wife. It could be your wife died. It could be, you know, this that or the other.
There's there's always going to be a ceremonial story that covers each one of these issues.
Something's happened in the past that's built into all of our stories that guides us in a good way. Because everything that happened to our ancestors, I'm talking all the way back to like Genesis type stories. Everything that's carried on till today, there's an answer for it. It's happened before.
There's something that's happened before. And how did these guys overcome it? Well, look back to your stories and you'll know. This also helps when when people are coming to the ceremony. It could be people wanting to change their lives. It could be people reconnecting or trying to repatriate their lives with the ceremonies. But when that happens, you you start recognizing it because of these stories. And you know immediately if they ever come and ask you, hey, what do you think about this? You'll know exactly what to tell him. and and you're so you're in this position to where all of a sudden you were this this no good kid. All of a sudden you're giving meaningful advice to somebody that really needs it, right? So there's always a progression that happens if you stick with it, you know, and and it's and it's one of those things where it only like for me in my personal life, the Sundance is only one time a year.
And man, the whole year I miss it. I miss everything about it. The whole year I I yearn for it and I I'm excited to go. And and every year since me and my wife have been attending, more and more has been happening for us.
More and more things have uh progressed for us as well. So for instance, this year we're we're in charge of the the cook camp. So we'll be cooking for the whole camp. You know, for me that's an honor. I mean, who who gets asked to cook for a Sundance encampment? Well, I did and so did my wife. And the people that get asked for that are good people. People that everybody doesn't have a problem with that want to be there and come around because a lot of your intentions and your your energy goes into that food and it has to be it has to be good. You know, you can't just have anybody do that. So, and I understand that. So for them to ask me that that for one strengthens my resolve to stick with it, to always do good, to always try hard, to never give up, you know, to never judge people, to always give them a chance, you know, and always help the downtrodden, you know, that's just having that happen reinforces all the good that I do in my life. And I do this good for, you know, the things out know that I never speak about paying lights for somebody that got their lights turned off, helping people buy diapers. I don't talk about that.
It's only between me and that person.
And I don't ever ask for anything back.
Um, you know, ever. You know, in my life, I've from now going forward, I have totally changed. I give more than I take.
always always like that. And I I I sometimes I'll stand back and I'll look at my life. I'll be like, damn, when am I going to get so No, I'm joking. But what I really do is I look back and I notice that because I've given so much, it stands out to me. And I can't change it. It's ingrained in me now. Like I I can't change it. When somebody is suffering or anything like that, I always try to give whatever I can. I'm talking like advice sometimes.
Like one of my cousins just lost a son.
Can you imagine losing a child? Oh my gosh.
>> I was able to give her advice, um, comfort. Um, I was able to love her on a deeper level than I ever could without being in these ceremonies and knowing what I know today. I was able to give this to my cousin. And when you give like that, man, there there's no price tag you can put on something like that. That that is something real intimate and real special. And I recognize it. So all of you that are trying to come back because of alcohol and drugs or whatever or you don't know where you're at in your life, just go speak out your old ways. Go hang around those elders. Just change the crowd. Once you do that and you'll start changing yourself and it'll become easy.
All that negativity will stop coming to you. All of it. The minute you try to walk away from it, you watch.
Everybody's going to show up with it.
They're going to tempt you. And that's those bad ones trying to get you back.
So realize what's happening and and turn it all away and just keep going. Try hard. That's my advice.
Try hard. Just keep going.
Heck yeah. Right here. Hang on.
Applause.
Heck yeah, man. I hope everyone heard that, took it in, digest it, process it, and repeat just that what he just said.
It may seem hard. May seem hard, but you know, reach out, ask ask for help. You know, there's a lot of us here that, you know, a lot of us, we don't have uh many many people to look up to. You know, like I for myself, I don't really I don't really have any role models. And the only role model that I got is this guy right here down here, you know, watching the all the podcasts and uh chatting with him on the phone every other day, you know, and you know, I I tell my wife and one of one of our moderators that's here, Little Wolf, you know, I tell her that, "Hey, man, he's he's the older brother that I never had, you know, that I wish I had. You know, maybe I wouldn't have gotten into so much trouble."
But um much love to you out there, brother. Much love to you. Um, you got anything you want to say there?
>> Oh, yeah. You know, that's, you know, the world needs more words like that, especially in the one we live in now.
Everything seems to be so negative and against each other. The world's against there. All everybody's world is against each other's world pretty much, you know. They don't they don't realize that, >> you know, we're sharing this planet, you know, we're sharing this uh this world with uh others. you know, be be respectful for other people and especially other cultures. If you ever get the pleasure of meeting them, you know, be uh respectful and um you know, that's uh that's saying a lot too, you know, and some people just can't understand that either. So, you know, that's uh that's a lot of words right there, man. Um that's a lot of words. I like it. I like that. I like that. But um tell me uh Brad, how how was uh how was your life changed after you know starting the podcast and you know doing your your podcast like this? You know it's uh it's one it's one of the weirdest steps is to go forward with it and now you're here now you got a radio and you know you're talking with uh Don and myself.
Oh, it's definitely was a positive change. Uh once you get over your insecurities because we all have them, especially as native people, you know, we're all really shy kids. But once you get over that, and for me, I use uh the stories when I when I tell a story, I'll put myself back in there. It's like I'm walking through that whole memory again and I'm trying to relate everything I remember. So, I'm focused on that. I'm not thinking about any insecurity I have. And that gives me the courage to to speak better. And over time, just speaking more and more and more, it's become easier. And because of that, I'm able to open up and share things I I never would have been comfortable sharing before. Like notice I rarely talk about a lot of the military kind of trauma from there. You know, I'm I I'm on that I'm on that disability. I even struggle with it now. I'm on that disability from the VA for uh PTSD, right? Like that was a big struggle in my life right there. But because because I was able to sober up, change all that stuff, you know, I'm able to deal with it through ceremony. That's how I deal with the PTSD aspect of it.
But even at that, um, it's still really hard to talk about. I I really don't like to, you know, things like that because of those memories. If you walk through them, it's tough, man. It's just something that you just want to sit down and kind of accept and just leave it at that. It's really kind of a >> kind of a hard thing to do. But in general, it's been a whole positive experience because it's helped me overcome my insecurities and also reach out and and gather more friends. Like I never thought little wolf would, you know, we're Tik Tok friends or online. I never thought I'd have friends like that. Cheryl, Vanita, Shai, Maddie, >> I mean, everybody here and you know, everybody that's always listening on Tik Tok and and also outside of Tik Tok, I have another group of people I always talk with, too. There's Facebook friends that have friended me and that share stories about a lot of things as well.
And I mean, I constantly interact with different people, right? and uh like so pretty to this day. We're just constantly sending each other funny cat videos. You know, I it it's broadened my friendship.
>> And when you have friends, like really good friends, >> it's it's something that you again you can't put a price tag on because a military veteran would tell you this. We don't have a lot of really close friends just because of how we are right now.
When I go to ceremonies, I have many friends. And then also other interactions like this, I have many friends, right? But if I'm just out in the civilian world walking around somewhere like around here, like because I live off, right? I bought a house after res. I don't have a lot of really close-knit friends. So, I get to do all of that through this. And a lot of us veterans, we just really what we really need is people we think we can we know we can rely on and we could call up at any given minute and just talk, right?
Even if it's just about the most mundane things because what kills us is our inside of our minds. That'll start driving us nuts. So when we got something we could get out there and and rely on, that really helps. And the podcast has helped me do that. But the bigger aspect of this podcast that's changed in my life is realizing the magnitude of these stories.
Like I grew up with a lot of these stories, especially the old Black Feet stories. I grew up with a lot of them.
And and and to be a man to realize how important those stories are and to be able to relay that and convey it to other people, especially the the people in my tribe, it really helps. I mean, it really helps to to to know that their lives are going to be better just because of stories, man. Stories are really important. And that's why I say the magnitude of this because not only that, but the sad fact is we we don't live forever. So if you get your stories out there, they're always going to be saved for your kids and for grandkids and for f any family, friends.
When they're ready, they're going to be able to listen to your stories one day, you know, cuz my father-in-law was my very first guest. And my wife lost him. He he passed a little over a year ago now.
And one day, uh, my boy and her are on this little road trip back to the res and he says, "Mom, can I listen to something?" She said, "Yeah." She hasn't listened to the podcast because because he's on the intro and because he's in some of the episodes.
And so he starts playing lodge tales as they're driving and it starts out and you can hear his voice and she she breaks down, you know, starts crying and said, "Mom, why are you crying?" She said, "It's just really good to hear dad's voice. My dad's voice again. I miss him." And he said, "You want me to turn it off?" He said, "No, this is comforting. I like this." That right there, you can't. I'm telling you, it's bigger than us. It's way bigger than us.
Just these stories. That's why I'm saying stories are really really important especially the oral history type stories that we have and if you have a family member telling those oral history stories of your tribe it's even more special man you know and I realize that that's why when I have guests come on I don't ever push I don't ever prod people might say because I've get comments from non-natives why didn't you ask more questions like look man you don't do that you they'll tell you what they want to tell you. You can pry and prod if you want, but in our way that's kind of disrespectful. You know, you just don't go there at certain times.
So, a lot of times I just listen to their stories and if I do have questions, they'll be the type that are, you know, well, can you describe it a little more? Like, what did that creature look like that you seen? You know, because I'll be curious myself.
But as far as you know, asking personal prying type questions now, man, like I because I realize that when people are talking, they're trusting me with this story or they wouldn't even reach out to me. They're trusting that, you know, it's going to be okay. And it is okay because it's a safe environment for us Native Americans. That's why my platform is only reserved for the indigenous voice. It's just for us. Like this is the one place you can come. though there's many now but I feel it's one of the places you can come where you can actually be safe and you can open up about your stories and people ain't going to question you today you know in a in a skeptical way cuz I listen to the story and I take it as you tell it and that's your story your experience and you know if you got a few details off here and there that that's that's your story whatever you might come back later and remember like oh man I wish I would have mentioned that because that's not how you we get the whole picture of it in general. We know kind of what happened. And that's where I'm at. I'm not going to make anybody feel not believed or anything like that, right?
That's just not how it is. Like in ceremonies, that's where I get a lot of this from is in ceremonies. You you're quiet. Like I've said before, >> like these guys up here, they're they're they're quiet. They let you speak until you've landed your plane, right? And and you get to finish your whole thought.
And that's how it is with a lot of these stories, too. I try not to interrupt, but I do try to uh reciprocate a little bit. Oh, yeah. Uhhuh. You know, things like that just to just to make it feel like you're not alone in a studio.
>> You know, I will do things. Little things like that help comfort people.
And I realize it because >> I spoke on podcast. The first time I spoke, the guy was really quiet and I didn't know if I should keep talking. I was I wasn't sure. I was unsure. And I, you know, I'm like, what do I do here?
And so that's why I reciprocate a little bit more just to ease them to help them and because there are podcasts out there where they just let a monologue and I don't know if they cut out their reciprocations or what but they let a monologue and for me I think that might make some people uncomfortable. So there's a lot that I think about going into this and and a lot I've learned about the hardware side of it, the the technology side of it. I've learned a lot here. So, it's done nothing but help me in more ways than I can probably even, you know, that I'm even aware of.
But, uh, the main thing for me on a personal level is gaining all these friends. Like, all the friends like I get shame when people come up to me at the Sundance and be like, "Oh, it's Log Tales. You mean the Lodge Tales?" I'm like, "Yeah, it's me, but you know, don't don't don't talk like that. I won't tell him to be quiet. I It just makes me feel a little shame cuz, you know, as natives, we're not a lot of us don't like that, you know, like the big praise that. But hey, it's cool because we are their people that they look to, you know, for these things. How how did Little Wolf say it that time? You are our celebrities.
You're our celebrities. Right? So, I don't ever like using that word when I refer to myself, but I've heard her use it. I'm quoting her.
So anyways, you know, that's that's kind of I guess one thing I really like about it is getting these friends. I I consider them friends, not fans, friends, man. Like they're friends cuz I interact with them on TikTok and Facebook wherever I can and I try to answer every comment. The only one I struggle with is Spotify because it's hard to reply on there. I don't know why for me on my end, it's just I don't get the notifications and then when I do check, there's a whole bunch piled up.
when you look at one, it shoots you back to this weird screen where you have to scroll down. I don't know. I just think it's really hard to interact on Spotify.
I think that needs to be improved.
>> But other than that, I mean, that's it for me, Darren, is I I like all the friendships that I make and I have made through this, you know, this this journey.
>> You know, that that's, you know, you stick the words out of my mouth, you know, u personally I was never a talkative person. So, uh, and you know, I'm still learning how to talk to people. You know, I still have a bad rep for not texting back or stuff like that or, you know, talking a bit more. So, you know, it's a learning experience, you know, and it's and it's uh and it's great, you know. I can't believe it, you know. I can't believe uh you know we made it here or you know and it wouldn't have been here if uh you know if it wasn't for Don Don you know if it wasn't for me I you know we wouldn't be here talking to you and you know it's a it's a it's a unique it's a unique friendship you know and it's amazing it really is a a nice trip and you know Don he was saying like yeah you guys were Tik Tok famous like what and I'm sitting here drinking out of a freaking um pickle jar, freaking plastic cup.
Yeah. So, yeah, I I'm uh you know, I'm just me, you know, we're just us and we know you know, thank you for everybody who listens and you know, talks to us cuz uh you know, we're just we're we're just human, you know, and uh we're here together. We're meant to be here together and to struggle together. And also one thing too is we're all here to love one another, you know, and that all goes down to respect.
So, uh, again, man, thank you. And, you know, you dropped some knowledge. You dropped some knowledge and, you know, people are going to look look at that and they're going to, you know, going to look more more up to it, more up to you.
And hopefully same way with Don and myself. So, it's always a it's always a, like I said, it's always a it's always a treat. It's always a gift talking to you because you know we always have you know words words like yours and nobody can do that besides you you know and that's unique unique something to say you know >> and uh you know it it's good it's good you know you can we'll suffer together we'll go through this all and you know trying to figure out how to do this technology stuff because I don't know how to so >> yeah it sucks man. Yeah, man. Like uh when we first started hanging out, Darren was quiet, you know? Uh making jokes. First time hearing Darren laugh, he was like, "What the hell? You right, Darren?"
Like, "Oh, I was just playing Darren. I was just playing." But um >> but for real, Ronnie, you know, but Darren is right when he said earlier, you know, you know, like how I see you, you're a tree. You know, you're a tree out there. a tree, a big tree that gives shade to all the little squirrels, all the different types of birds, you know, that's flying around, you know, and then you give and then what people don't see underneath the ground is the root system, you know, you're giving you're giving this tree, that tree, you know, the ponderosa pine, you know, the pine tree, you're giving everyone life underneath there, you know, and I think um, you know, we do need that, you know, we need pillars out there. We need you.
We need an older brother. We need an older sister out there. You know, just being around your wife, you know, I already felt the older sister already, you know, just like I can sleep good with these two here, you know, being around cuz there's certain people where I can't sleep, you know, I'm awake. I'm I'm on my toes, you know, and then with you guys around just like, hey, I'm just going to relax. And then my little guy, my seven guy keeps asking when are we going to Montana to D Rodney?
So, we got all that going on. So, you know, there's people asking for you that you don't realize and you know, like I said, you're a tall tree. You know, you're a tree for all of us and appreciate what you do for all of us and that giving content and giving a bit of your yourself to all of us and your time, you know, making these videos and all that stuff. So, appreciate it, brother. Appreciate it.
Like I said, man, heck, the honor is all mine. Just meeting you guys and your family and you know, like Darren, I already consider Darren a brother. I know we could hang out, you know, anytime. And that's how it is like like with Little Wolf and them. I know she would become a part of our family.
Venita, Shai, you know, Maddie, all of them. Like, and I'm missing so many that are out there like Debs and and Cheryl.
And there's so many out there that I know we're we already call each other brother and sister, you know, stuff like that. So, it would be no problem for us to all kind of if we met in real life to just hang out and just click. But as far as my wife goes, oh man, I'm just lucky she even likes me.
you know, I was so blessed to even have her because I'm a firm believer in, you know, every good man, there's always a support system. And not necessarily is it always a wife or a woman, but in my case, it is, you know, so that old cliche of behind every good man is a good woman. And that's true with me, you know, she's helped me become a better person. Like just having her in my life has elevated me to places I didn't think I'd ever go. Gez, I didn't even think I'd live past my 30s, you know, and here I am pushing 50.
>> Wow.
>> That's half a century right there. That is a milestone. Go ahead, Darren. Go ahead. I didn't mean to cut you off.
>> No, no, man. I'm just listening right now.
So, yeah. Yeah, man. I can't believe I can't believe it. you know, it's uh it's unique, very unique for myself to uh be out here and you know, especially when we were doing the uh the Patreon, you know, it I was laughing about it earlier, you know, like I don't think people would be joking about the situation we put ourselves in cuz we went in some bad bad spots and like I think if people would been there and seen what we've seen and were going through, it would have went totally south for them, you know. So, and uh you know, it's it's it's unique because, you know, we're all just sitting there laughing and you know, joking about about it, you know, laughing about laughing amongst one another even though uh you know, we have we're seeing seeing shadows, seeing eyes, you know, we're we're we're there and you know, it's it's also a very unique thing to suffer with your friends and you know, especially like that humors um very good tool to use uh when used properly. you know so uh yeah you know u yeah it's it's it's unique you see very unique situation u find myself in and I'm happy you know I it's very rare for me to say that too but you know I'm happy I'm you know doing something right here for uh oh yeah >> masses in the audience out there so >> Oh yeah most definitely um Ronnie before we uh close out. Do you want to remind everyone where to find you?
>> Yeah, you can find Logales podcast uh anywhere you get the podcasts on YouTube as well. Um the website lodgetales.com and Spectrevision Radio first and foremost, but uh I always say it second, but I'm always saying first and foremost. And then you got uh Patreon where the membersonly episodes are. Um, for anybody that's interested, I'm going back through the the trip down to SW Ranch to our members only episode this um with it soon here next few days or so and go back through that. So, if you're interested, go ahead and stop in there and check it out. Yeah, it's Lodge Tales anywhere you get your podcast.
Right on. Make sure >> you guys like, share, subscribe to Rodney and also to us, you know, support. Give us some support out there.
>> Um, thank you.
>> Oh yeah, don't forget to share. Don't forget to share as well. Like and subscribe everyone out there listening.
We only got three three reactions, but um thank you guys for uh loaning us your ears and hopefully you know this great conversation um can affect the loved ones out there.
Share the podcast. We're all in this life and walk together in this human experience that um we are subjected to uh to walk and but we're all walking this life here and experiencing this human experience together. Why not all walk together, you know, hand in hand?
Because we're all going to leave this body soon and we're all going to go to the light source that we all where we all originated from. Um Darren, you have any uh any last announcements before we uh end the show?
>> I don't know. as it this episode um deals with alcohol and the effects that it has on the people.
Um you know, seek help if you can. You know, if you uh need help, call someone that's able-bodied and has a sound mind. You know, it uh we're just human. We all need help. You know, we all need support. And for the people out there, you know, be the help and be the support. So, um, don't drink and drive.
Um, if you find yourself drinking, you know, pick the place, pick your arena first. Um, and yeah, be be aware that the there are spirits out there that pray on uh others, you know, the influences and their body, the fleshly lust, you know. So, please be aware and take care of you guys and uh take care of yourself and I mean that people whoever's listening out there, you know, take care of yourself and we'll see you here next week.
>> Oh, yeah. Ronnie, you want to say ladies to everyone before we close up?
>> Yeah, it was good to have uh this conversation. I think it was needed and >> All right.
>> And like I said, if you're ever struggling, just go back to your old ways. Go seek out those elder slowly and slowly and be kind to yourself. It's okay to fail. You know, there'll be many failures, many tests along the way, but how you respond to that adversity is going to define you, not your failures.
Just remember that and try hard.
>> Oh yeah.
Oh yeah. Yep. And as far, you know, I hope everyone heard what Ronnie said.
You know, you guys all take that and take it to yourself. And if you're a young mother, a young father out there, please, please teach your children, teach your child, show them, tell them that you love them and they matter. And be there for them. If you're drinking, stop in the best way you can because the little one's watching you. and he's always going to remember everything you done and everything you said while you were intoxicated.
And um from Darren and myself and Raleigh and I here, we like to say to everyone out there, take it easy. Um watch out, look over one another, you know, and be there for one another. This is what this uh episode's going to be about, you know, all covering all the aspects of all this. But I digress.
Okay, closing out here, guys. Thank you for tuning in to Don't Whistle at Night.
We have been broadcasting live here on the United Public Radio Network, 107.7 FM in New Orleans. I am your host Don Yazy, co-host Darren Yazy, Rodney Williams Lodge Tales. Don't forget to give him a follow, guys. And from here, from all of us here, love and peace. See you guys later. Deuces.
Welcome to Don't Whistle at Night podcast, where Navajo legends echo in the shadows.
Darren and Dawn will guide you through the sacred fire of native storytelling.
Where the old stories breathe, the unknown walks among us, and voices long hidden rise to be heard.
And remember, don't whistle at night.
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