Category Archives: general

Ghost Paralysis

Nationality: Mexican American
Age: 17
Occupation: Server, Waiter
Residence: Marysville, WA
Performance Date: October 26, 2020
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

Informant: One night around 9:00 I am talking to my mom at the top of the staircase. There is a door at the bottom of the stairs, and I look down to see a full figure standing in the doorway. I looked back at my mom, and told her that I just saw someone. She asks what I mean, and I tell her that I saw someone looking at me right there, but when I look back and show her it’s gone. 

Later that night in my bedroom, which is right across from the doorway to the stairs. I am in bed, trying to sleep but I can’t, I feel something, like something is watching me. I look around the dark room, and at the corner of the bed you see a shadow standing with its head tilted. I flip over to try to ignore it, and I grab my phone to distract myself from being scared. But then I feel the presence right next to me and in the screen of my phone I see two shiny, bright eyes in the reflection right to the left of me. I then flip over to my back and feel the presence right on the side of my face, and I see the two eyes. Trying to ignore it I close my eyes, and try to fall asleep. But at three in the morning I wake up with sleep paralysis, and I see the same figure standing at the foot of my bed. I can’t move, talk or wake up.

Collector: So what do you think happened? What do you make of this situation?

Informant: After I woke up, I tried to not pay any attention to it to avoid fear. And I told my grandma about it, because I didn’t know what it was. She said that when sleep paralysis happens a dead person is laying on top of you. My grandma told me that if I feel like I am being watched or that there is a shadow in my room, to cuss at it and tell it to go fuck itself, because it scares them away. Ever since that night whenever I feel a presence I tell it to go fuck itself, and they don’t really ever come back. Also the more this stuff happens, the more you get used to it. But since the shape was a tall dark shadow, that means it was an evil spirit, and the fact that it got onto me tells me that it was not a good one. It was a bad spirit that I brought home from somewhere, I went to a cemetery before this and I didn’t wash my clothes, and that’s when I started noticing shit. But definitely since it was a dark shadowy spirit, I think it was trying to harm me. 

Context: The informant, is a Latino male, who was born in Los Angeles, California, and now lives in the Seattle Washington area. 

Analysis: The informant suggests a lot of compelling ideas, and mythologies about ghosts. Ghost belief, and interactions with the dead are much more prevalent within Mexican culture. The informant mentions taking spirits home with you from cemeteries, and washing your clothes after visiting a cemetery. Also what an evil spirit behaves, and looks like, and even how to ward off a spirit that is unwanted. I have never heard of the idea of sleep paralysis relating to a ghost encounter. But sleeping is a very liminal time, especially sleep paralysis. Are you asleep? Are you awake? Are you dreaming?  In regards to warding off spirits if the informant claims that this encounter has not occurred since he has yelled at this spirit, and ignored it, this it may point to evidence that this idea could be effective. An angry ghost wanting to haunt may not bother with someone who is not scared.

A Distinct Spiritual Connection

Performance Date: October 27, 2020
Primary Language: English

Main Transcript:

Collector: Good morning LK. How are you? I know that you have had some spiritual experiences with your mom. I would really appreciate it you shared those experiences with me.

Informant: I’m well and yes, this is the story about my mom…

My mom fit all the classic roles of a mom and was a great woman, but she also had an interesting spiritual side.  I didn’t realize the depth of her connection to ghosts and the after-life until my after my mom passed away.  She died suddenly and unexpected for someone of good health. The day after she passed, I had the opportunity to be at her house with my dad, in her surroundings and in her personal space.  I noticed that some things were out of order and different than they had been in the past. My mother is a very intentional and orderly person, so seeing classic items out of order had caught me off guard. I was looking at my mom’s phone and I saw that the very last series of pictures she took where are all items and memories that were important to her. The very very last photo on her entire camera roll was a picture that she had taken of a wooden Angel that sits right next to her favorite chair. As I continued to look around, I found the Angel and it had been moved from the side table where it was in the photo to the mantle next to a photo of all of my mom’s grandchildren. It was like my mom was connected to the spirits and knew that she was leaving this planet of earth and was having this out of body experience on the day before she passed away.  She had used her camera phone to capture some of these memories from of her life on earth.

My mom was a very spiritual person, she felt like she had a connection with people and places from a time in the past. She would share that she knew of a restaurant in a town we had never been to or that she knew specifics of someone’s sister when she had never met them before. Not all the examples of my mother’s connection with the past are positive. There is a theater in Bellingham that my mother refused to attend or even drive near-by.  She said it was haunted with evil ghosts.  She believed someone would get hurt there, as she said that things dropped out of the ceiling on actors and the carpet would unravel around attendees’ feet to trip them up. Another thing that my mom believed was that her father, who passed away 20 years before her, visited her frequently. My mom said she never saw her father, but knew his spirt was in her house, she could feel his presence. My mom who was a very sound mind would wake up in the morning and her personal trinkets on bookshelves and family pictures from when she was a child or anything connected to her family were knocked over or moved around in different orders.  She believed this was her father reminding her about her childhood and his continued involvement in her life, even from heaven. So the day after my mom died and I was at her house I started to notice the same thing that she described by her own dad as a spirit in her house where it happened. I noticed in her living room all of her grandchildren photos on the shelf were all moved into a different order and that was on a peculiar because my mom kept them all very neat and tidy in the same sequence.  I now strongly believe that the day before she passed she was speaking with her father’s spirit or others in the afterlife and knew that she would be leaving this world and was organizing her world before she died. 

Collector: Have you ever experienced a spiritual connection of your own?

Informant: Yes, it includes an experience with my mom.  I had an interesting experience where I was drawn to her the day before said she died. My parents live 90 minute away soon it’s hard for me to come over, say hello and grab a cup of coffee. The day before she died I happen to be in the area working and so I called my parents so simply say “Hello”. Oddly, my client canceled lunch and that allowed me drive over to visit my parents at their house. I was excited to see them and spend time with them. However, I remember thinking this was odd, as the real purpose of my work travels were to meet with this client. I felt like there was this pull for me, as if the afterworld was even speaking through me or my mom was pulling me to come over and see them.  When I was at the house, I didn’t notice that things were out of order and I didn’t notice she was taking photos on her camera roll. I did notice that she was very affectionate and gave me more attention than a normal visit. In fact, she gave me this incredible hug when I left and told me to have an amazing ski weekend with my family doing what I loved the most. I got back in my car and I had this odd feeling, but I could not understand it. The next day, I received a phone call that my mom passed away in her sleep. I immediately reflected on the feelings I had the day before where I was drawn to my mother at her house and now understood that she knew that she would die and she was sharing with me this last connection in the physical world. I now believe that on earth there are people who have spirt-like characteristics and connection to the after world.  It was not until after she passed away when I looked at her phone photos and rearranged items did I understand that she was preparing to go to another world of spirits that will watch and guide over us, just like she did when she was here on earth.   

Collector: Thank you so much for sharing. I really appreciate you sharing your experiences.

Context and Relation:

LK grew up in Sedro-Wooley Washington which is roughly ninety minutes north of Seattle. She now lives in Bellevue, Washington and is the mother of two children. LK’s mother died two years ago and she is still learning about the deep spiritual side of her mother. LK will always remember her mother and the love that she gave. LK says that she will be listening in the future for messages from her mother.

Personal Reflection:

I completely agree with LK. Her belief in her mother having some connection to the spiritual realm is totally valid. LK is my mother and LK’s mother is my grandmother so it was obvious knowing my grandmother that she had a spiritual connection. She always seemed to know exactly what to do in all circumstances. When I hear LK’s story, the situations provide a real connection to the spiritual world and the story of her family. Yes, you could say that all these events were coincidence, but it just seems like there is more than just science at play here. LK did say that her mother was extremely spiritual. It would not be that far off to argue that believing in a religion requires similar type of belief and headspace that ghost belief does. In conclusion, LK gave a great ghost story that will continue to live and develop throughout the rest of her life.

The Spirit of Chipeta

Occupation: Director of Ute Indian Museum
Residence: Montrose, CO
Performance Date: 10/29/20

Background

The Ute Native Americans are in three reservations in Colorado and Utah: Unitah-Ouray, Southern Ute, and Ute Mountain. They have their own sovereign nations that have their own tribal leadership. Within reservations there are different bands of Ute Natives. The story told takes place in the Ute Indian Museum Montrose, Colorado. There Chipeta and her brother John McCook are buried. Chief Ouray, Chipeta’s husband, is said to be buried in Utah.

Chief Ouray was designated chief by the U.S. since he spoke English. He was Apache and Ute, he belonged to the Uncompahgre Band. He had one child with his first wife Black Mare, however she passed away unexpectedly. Since Ouray spoke English, Spanish, and Ute, the U.S. government decided to make him the proxy for treaties, regardless of how the Ute governed themselves. Nevertheless, Chief Ouray always strived for peace.

When gold was found in the San Juan Mountains, settlers began to encroach. The lands of all natives got smaller and smaller. The Utes were moved to what is now known as Montrose County. A settler was ploughing land near the reservation assigned to the Utes. The young Utes, as accustomed, raced their horses. However, they had raced on some of the ploughed land. This dispute eventually exploded, but no one knows who shot first. The incident did lead to the involvement of Nathan Meeker, the Indian agent at the White River Indian Agency that managed the Utes. Meeker did not care about the culture and customs of the natives, he was predisposed against Utes. The small dispute led to more conflict and eventually Meeker called on federal troops. The Utes viewing it as a threat rebelled, and took Meeker’s wife and daughter. After, finding out what had occurred, Chipeta wept for Josephine Meeker and her daughter. She showed kindness. The U.S. successfully negotiated to have them released and they went to Ouray and Chipeta’s ranch.

However, the Utes were forced to relocate, after a final battle, to Utah and further away from their lands. Chipeta didn’t have children, but she loved them and adopted many. Chief Ouray was blamed for the relocation of the Utes, and labeled a traitor, but given U.S. history, Ouray also saved his people from genocide, he saved the children of the tribe and their future.

It is extremely important to recognize that the entities and spirits in the Ute Indian Museum are not malicious

The museum has been here since 1956. It closed down in 2015 to remodel, and expand the museum. The original structure is still present. The staff has reported viewing orbs of light and shadow-people. When they watch the cameras, they move around quickly. They move around real fast, and trigger sensors, so they do get a police officer. He was scared of coming out to the museum.

The Story

We sat in CJ’s office at the Ute Indian Museum. Flute music played in the background. Photographs of the museum and her children lined the walls, along with Ute artifacts. Two words describe CJ, spiritual and calm.
My name is CJ Brafford. I am the director at the Ute Indian museum, I am Ogologo Lakota. I was born on the Pine-Ridge Indian Reservation and have been the caretaker of the Ute Indian Museum for 24 years. When I came here for the job, the doors to the museum were locked, and no one gave me a key. I wandered the grounds and met Chipeta. I didn’t know yet, who she was.

Being Native I have been around many things, and seen many too. I have been here for 20 years and I have traveled and researched the Utes. So, I think I about gathered as much information as I can. I have seen many archival records, but one day a community member of Montrose called. She wanted to see me and share something with me. When she arrived at the museum she came in and she showed me a picture. I had not seen this picture, and I got so excited, like oh my gosh, I’ve never seen this picture. Chapita is buried here, she died in Utah in 1924 but she was brought back to Montrose in 1925. The Ute were removed in 1881, but nonetheless Chipeta is here today. On the museum grounds next to her brother John McCook. So, when she came in, I thought she was showing me a picture that she found at the archives or found somewhere else. It’s a picture she took just the night before on the museum grounds. She wanted me to identify the person in the picture. She knew it was an Indian woman, but I knew it was Chipeta.

Another time, I was at the front desk when somebody in the gift store said, “I don’t want you to think I’m kind of strange, but Chipeta’s standing right behind you”.

Questions

After the story I had two questions, why is Chipeta still on the grounds and why is Chief Ouray not buried beside her, CJ provided answers.
Chief Ouray went to go sign another treaty, but he got sick and passed away in Utah in 1880 away from his home. The Southern Ute did not allow his body to be taken back with the agent from the White River Indian Agency. A year later, two Ute bands in Colorado were forced to relocate to Utah. The Ute at that time placed their deceased in caves. Chief Ouray was placed among other chiefs. Chipeta was with Ouray when he passed, and she knew where he was buried.

A federal troop account said that they saw Utes and a horse with a body over it. It is believed that Chipeta brought him back and buried him in a disclosed place. Utes have come by and said he is in the Black Canyon. There was an attempt to bring Ouray to Chipeta’s burial ground, and Chipeta to Ouray’s.

CJ heard was that after the Ute bands were removed, Chipeta would travel from Montrose to Dragon, Utah through train. Chipeta befriended a wealthy man, who had the first car. His employers would pack Chipeta a picnic lunch and he would drop her off here. She would sit here to do her choosing, and she would cry. I think part of her spirit is still left here, even when she journeyed over. This was her home, and up there it was foreign. The place given to them was barren, we had mountains. There was greenery here, they were given a desert.

Chipeta is a guardian, consoling all who are tied to the land where her history is in the landscape. When it was taken from the Utes, she came back to Montrose, rueful that many of the Utes would not return.
Chipeta and her brother John McCook remain buried in Montrose, Colorado.

Sources
CJ Brafford Ute Indian Museum Director
Platts, Henry. “Ouray.” Colorado Encyclopedia, https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/ouray. Accessed 29 October 2020.

The Haunted Virginia Apartment Unit Pt. 2

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Virginia
Performance Date: October 21, 2020
Primary Language: English
Language: Korean

Informant: I used to live in an apartment when I first moved to Virginia around 2007. I was around 8 years old. I was playing with my friend and my mom had previously gotten me a baby doll (I had about three of them). It was the ones you would get in Easter baskets. My friend did not like the way they looked, so she shoved the dolls into a drawer and closed it. She had to go, so we all went downstairs. It was just my parents and me (only child). When I came back into my room, the drawer was open, everything was trashed, my tea table was turned upside down. There were three dolls on my bed looking at the bedroom door. Slightly irrelevant, but a few years later, my apartment burned down (only my unit of the apartment) and the only thing that survived was our Bible. It was absolutely pristine and unscathed.

Background/Informant Thoughts: The informant lived in an apartment in Virginia when they were around 8 years old in 2007. There were repeated accounts of haunting going on in there. The informant felt unsafe and like something was out to get her. She felt as if it only wanted her out of the apartment. She remembers this because it was so traumatic to her. Seeing dolls staring at the door with her room torn apart shook her to her core. She was even more concerned after seeing the Bible was the only thing left unscathed after her unit in the apartment burned down.

My Thoughts: As with the first story, I am extremely freaked out by the amount of paranormal activity that has occurred just with this apartment alone. I believe whatever was residing in that apartment truly did not want her in there. If I came back to my room being seemingly ransacked, I would be freaked out and move out as soon as possible! Especially as a child, I would be terrified to sleep in that room.

The Haunted Virginia Apartment Unit Pt. 1

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Virginia
Performance Date: October 21, 2020
Primary Language: English
Language: Korean

Informant: This story was a bit before my 2007 baby doll story (I was around 7 years old). So I was laying in bed by myself playing with Webkinz. Parents were outside smoking on the porch. I was always by myself when these things would happen. I called my superhero Webkinz “Webkinzanator” (bad name I know I know). My bed is pushed up against the window, no fire escape, and I was alone at 10P.M. at night. I hear at the left side of me a grown man repeating the word “Webkinzanator” in my ear. I got chills and could not move my body at all. Later that night, I woke up and something was floating towards me. I screamed and then it vanished. It looked like a t-shirt was floating towards me.

Background/Informant Thoughts: The informant lived in a Virginia apartment when they were around 7 years old. There were multiple accounts of hauntings going on in there. In this story, the informant was unsure of what to think. At the time, the informant was absolutely terrified. She believed something was after her and didn’t know why.

My Thoughts: When listening to this story, I do not think about much except that is seriously scary. While the informant may not have seen what happened as scary today, back then, she was terrified and I would be too! I still am terrified hearing that spooky tale. I would not be able to sleep in my bed again if I had something like that happen to me.