Tag Archives: curse

Cursed Objects on an Arizona Reservation

Text:

Interviewee: “When I was on the reservation, one of the days instead of helping out on the farm and like with the water and everything, they took us to this canyon that was like two hours away.

That’s where we saw those drawings on the mountainsides from the Hopi and earlier groups, and there were also a bunch of houses that were like hundreds of years old.

They also had this thing where a lot of the objects there were kind of like cursed, but only if certain conditions were met. Like, we found some arrowheads in the ground, and we were allowed to pick them up and look at them. But they said if you took them out of the canyon or away from where they were found, you’d basically be cursed and could even die.

It reminded me of how in Hawaii they say if you take rocks from volcanoes you get bad luck. It was kind of like that, on the reservation they said if you tried to take anything off of the reservation, you’d be cursed.

They also had a lot of rules that mainly applied depending on whether you were Native or not. Like, they said there were certain things you can’t do if you’re not Native. There was one example where some of the objects we could hold as non-Native people, but they wouldn’t touch them because they said they would get extremely bad luck. Like one of the arrowheads, none of the Native people were allowed to touch it because it had some kind of history with them, but since we had no relation to it, we were fine.

But then there were other things where we weren’t allowed to touch them or take them home at all, because we as non-Natives don’t really understand the significance.”

Context:

The interviewee was on a service trip to Arizona with school peers. He is a white man aged 18.

During this service trip, he went on a visit to a reservation where the interviewee was spending time with a local community in Arizona and learning about the land, its history, and its cultural practices. The canyon visit included exposure to ancient sites connected to groups like the Hopi, as well as interaction with physical artifacts such as arrowheads. The beliefs about curses and rules around touching objects were explained directly by community members, especially in relation to whether someone was Native or not.

Analysis:

This is an example of material folklore. The idea that objects become dangerous or “cursed” only when removed reflects a magic superstition, where specific actions (like taking an object off the land) trigger consequences. These beliefs discourage people from removing artifacts and help protect culturally and historically significant sites.

The distinction between what Native and non-Native people can or cannot touch shows that meaning and rules depend on identity, relationship to the object, and cultural knowledge. The belief that some objects carry history that affects certain groups differently highlights how folklore is tied to ancestry and cultural connection. Folklore in this story regulates behavior, preserves respect for the land, and reinforces boundaries around cultural understanding and ownership.

Navajo folklore

Text:

Interviewee: “The family I was with (on a service trip to Arizona) owned around 8,000 acres of land. They told me that about 200 years ago, their ancestor, who was Navajo, helped the U.S. government locate other tribes. In return, the government gave their family that land, and they’ve been living on it ever since.

When I was on the mountain with them, they told me about this snake god that protects the land. The mountain we were on in Arizona had many small gemstones on it. They said that if you try to take anything from the mountain, you’ll be cursed for generations.

They also talked about Wendigos in the wooded areas of their property. From what I understood, they described them as people who were cursed or did something terrible, and after death, they transform into these beings that hunt or harm others.

They also explained that the land had been occupied by different tribes over time, including the Anasazi and the Hopi, before their Navajo lineage. There were stories about caves in the mountains that had been used by earlier groups.

On the reservation, there was also a lot of talk about aliens. We visited a national park with ancient drawings on the walls, which were said to represent a creation myth from the Anasazi, but many people today interpret those images as aliens.”

Context:

The interviewee is a white male aged 18. He was on a school service trip to Arizona, where he spent time with families residing in the area.

This narrative comes from an experience of visiting a reservation. The interviewee is recounting stories, beliefs, and historical explanations shared directly by the people living on the land. These include spiritual beliefs (snake god, Wendigos), historical memory (land ownership and tribal succession), and interpretations of ancient sites (cave dwellings and rock art).

Analysis:

The snake god and curse function as a protective legend tied to the land, discouraging people from taking from it. The Wendigo represents a moral warning figure, reflecting fears of greed, violence, and transformation, which reinforces social norms.

The references to different tribes, such as the Hopi, as well as stories about caves and past inhabitants, show how folklore is tied to the historical landscape. The interpretation of ancient rock art as aliens reflects a modern reinterpretation of traditional symbols.

La Siguanaba

Age: 23

“A Salvadorian folklore story I know is La Siguanaba. It originated from the Náhuat people. “Sihuehuet” means beautiful woman in Spanish. Its Salvadorian. The gods cursed her for neglecting her son. She was turned into a spirit who lures unfaithful men. She’s also beautiful, that’s how she lures and kills them. When they get close she shows her face, which is, a , mix of a horse or a skull- or a mix of the two, and drives them crazy. It’s basically about temptation. I had this as a research topic in high school. I wanted to learn about the indigenous tribes from where my family is from.”

context: My informant, is a 23 year old male born in America, whose parents were born in El Salvador. Both parents fled to America to escape the Salvadorian civil war. His mother is from a town called El Mozote, which was where one of the largest massacres caused by the US government took place in 1981.

analysis:

Looking at this from a functionalist perspective, the legend is meant to enforce societal norms. Neglecting your child and being unfaithful could lead to divine punishment and temptation could lead to supernatural consequences. I also believe that La Siguanaba follows a common Latin American folklore trope of a supernatural or ghost woman sent out to punish people, like with La Llorona. the informant’s retelling of the story is a way for him to reinforce his own Salvadoran cultural identity. I also believe that many violent Legends (or just legends centered around death) may have emerged due to the Mozote massacre and other horrendous imperialist acts that have been forced upon Salvadorians. Historical trauma can shape how some legends and folk tales in general are viewed, even if those stories predate such events. the passage of time can effect how those stories are remembered or emphasized.

Valorant 9-3 Curse

Age: 19

Text
“I play a game called Valorant and basically in ranked games there are like two halves of twelve rounds each and there is a well known curse among people that play the game that if a team is up 9-3 at the half then they’re cursed to lose the game. I swear it happens so much too like you’ll be easily winning the first half and it’ll be 9-3 and you’ll just lose bad in the second half. So yeah like me and my friends or even if you’re playing with teammates if you’re down 9-3 people will say like oh it’s the 9-3 curse we’re gonna win and stuff like that.”

Context
JC says that the 9-3 curse has existed since the early days of Valorant around 2020/2021 and pretty much everybody involved with the game knows what it is. He says he vividly remembers moments where he was up 9-3 and lost as well as moments where he was down 9-3 and came back, but doesn’t remember other comebacks or blown leads as vividly. JC says that more times than not, if the score is 9-3, someone will bring up the curse.

Analysis
As someone that also plays Valorant, the 9-3 curse is definitely a legend that has blossomed and stuck among the game’s folk group over the years. No one knows who started or popularized the curse, but it spread extremely fast orally through being mentioned in ranked games and by streamers. As such, it’s a great example of Peck’s discussion of digital folklore, as it was created online and spread asynchronously as well as orally and visually, and each time the 9-3 curse resulted in a comeback only served to add to the legend. The curse is not particularly evidence based, but because of its infamy as a curse, all of us in the Valorant folk group will always remember losing 9-3 leads way more than any other scoreline, which shows how the belief is social and situational because it fits into the lore and the Valorant world. For losing teams, the 9-3 curse has become a way to manage the uncertainty of the game’s result, and something to back you (or predict the future) as you try to mount a come back.

Portuguese Bend Curse

Age: 19

Text
“When my boys and I were hiking the Portuguese Bend at night right on the coast on the cliffs, the ground like started shifting beneath us like kind of like an earthquake, it was pretty nuts. And at first we just kinda thought it was an earthquake but then we texted our boys back home and they didn’t feel anything, so we kind of just chalked it up to being the Portuguese Bend Curse because I don’t know, there was like no other explanation I guess.”

Context
RK explains that this is a curse/legend that is well known among his friends and other Palos Verdes residents, especially those that have spent time around the Portuguese Bend. He says that while hiking with his friends, he felt the ground move in a way that felt like an earthquake, but when he double checked with friends and family they didn’t feel anything. He says that he and his friends had no explanation for what happened, so they attributed it to the Portuguese Bend Curse. RK says that he’s been back to the Portuguese Bend a few times since that happened but nothing similar has happened.

Analysis
The Portuguese Bend Curse is a legend that is popular among the Palos Verdes area of Southern California, and RK’s specific story is a memorate. His experience shows that in weird moments that feel unexplainable, people will turn to folkloric and supernatural explanations for the event. This legend also shows that there is more to a place than just its geography; there is a ton of added identity to the Portuguese Bend that is built through stories and human memories. RK’s story is also a great example of Lindahl’s argument that legends and beliefs become stronger or validated through personal experience, as RK knew of the curse beforehand but never had any strong opinions about it until he experienced the ground shake in person. It’s also interesting that even though RK hasn’t felt the ground shake since that moment, he still believes in the Portuguese Bend Curse because of that one memorable and jarring experience.