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allthingsghostie · 4 years

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Walking Sam

Trigger Warning: Suicide

Please read with caution

All around the world, every place has their urban legends that continue to spook many. In South Dakota, that urban legend is Walking Sam. The legend of Walking Sam is a Native American urban legend. The story began gaining popularity in the 1970s. This spirit or creature, whatever it is, is said to lurk around the woods at the Pine Ridge Reservation. According to locals, Walking Sam is a tall, slender, shadow-like spirit that appears and convinces people to kill themselves. Sounds very similar to Slender Man. It seems it can't get anymore horrifying than that but maybe it can. Walking Sam is said to wear the souls of its victims, leaving them dangling from its arms.

Trigger Warning

According to Native American lore, the story Walking Sam is tied closely with spiritual beings known as the "Stick Indians." Stick Indians are the shadow people, or the dark people. You’ll know when these beings are near because their victims will hear them whistle and once you hear them, you’re too late, they’re in your head. These beings have strong powers of mental persuasion. They may hypnotize you, induce anxiety and dread in you, or drive you to insanity. Walking Sam, he makes his victims hear awful things. They hear voices digging into their deepest insecurities. The voices tell the victim that they are worthless or unwanted, leading them to suicide.

Why does Walking Sam do this? There’s a few theories. Some think he is trying to protect his home, others say he’s lonely and he is luring people to do these things so he can have companionship.

There has been a heart wrenching amount of attempted and committed suicides at this reservation. Most commonly, the victims are young adults and teenagers who were “impressionable”. There was one case that claimed that within only a matter of months, 200 teens attempted suicide, 9 of them passed away. Many members of the community strongly believed this was the work of Walking Sam.

The tribal elders of Pine Ridge take Walking Sam very seriously. The adults and elders of this community warn children of Walking Sam. This creature is a deeply discussed subject in the community as the suicide rates have been increasing throughout the past few years. People are warned to never roam the streets at night due to the danger of this being.

What are your thoughts on Walking Sam. Is he real. What exactly is he? If there is any legend I wouldn’t say go looking for, it’s this one. Whether you believe or not, stay clear of Walking Sam.

The suicides surrounding this legend are horrific and heartbreaking. Nobody deserves that fate. My heart goes out to those who lost their lives and their families. If you are struggling with depression or suicidal ideation, please reach out to someone you trust.

I own no photos. All credit to photographers and artists.

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blogizardkhan5 · 2 years

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The suicide spirit or "walking Sam"

“A Tall Man spirit is appearing to these kids and telling them to kill themselves.”

I'm sure some of you have heard of Pine Ridge, South Dakota. If not, it's a Lakota reservation that's near the Black Hills of South Dakota and it's one of the places that help perpetuate the stereotype of Native American reservations being bad places to live due to the poverty, homelessness, crime such as rape and murder, drug use, alcoholism, child abuse, and the most infamous of the problems, suicide. Sadly, it's mostly teenagers or younger who commit suicide

Legend : It is believed that a frightening urban legend named Walking Sam or the tall man has pushed over ten teenagers to commit suicide, however, it is still unknown that how can a mythological figure possibly drive people to take such drastic steps. The Native American, Lakota tribe believes that the “Walking Sam” or “Tall Man” is a suicide spirit and it appears as a 7-foot tall and lean man who has long arms.He does have eyes, but he lacks a mouth and a nose. Whenever he lifts his arms, souls of both Lakota men and women can be seen attached to his arms. The tribe believes that the strange and frightening figure whispers suicidal urges into people’s ears. It is also believed that the job of Walking Sam is to collect the souls of the people and it targets lonely, depressed, and, sad adolescents.

In 1983, Peter Matthiessen wrote a book, “In the Spirit of Crazy Horse”, based on Pine Ridge, describes Walking Sam as follow:

“There is your Big Man standing there, ever waiting, ever present, like the coming of a new day… He is both spirit and real being, but he can also glide through the forest, like a moose with big antlers, as though the trees weren’t there…”

He is known by multiple names such as the tall man, Stovepipe Hat Bigfoot, and, Big Man.

In Folklore, it is believed that the Walking Sam has been sent to Earth as punishment and he seeks company.

Walking Sam was spotted around the city of Pine Ridge and in that year multiple teenage suicides happened.

Walking Sam seeks to prey those who are affected the most by living conditions such as abuse, poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, racism and murder

even though he resembles "Slenderman", he's actually been around for centuries while Slenderman was made in 2009.

My personal belief of Walking Sam is that he goes to any place that has pain and suffering and feeds off of it, and since Pine Ridge is basically the Detroit of South Dakota, he will continue to entice those who have been affected by the terrible conditions to commit suicide.

The mass suicides and attempts :

The president of the tribe, John Yellow Bird Steele, stated that it is believed by many Sioux, that it is a suicide spirit which is similar to Slender Man.

Practically, blaming suicides on a traditional urban Legend of traditional folklore might seem far-fetched, But, the number of young people committing suicides on the reservation is way higher than the national average. Perhaps, Walking Sam could be an explanation for the alarmingly high number of suicides committed by Young adults and teens.

These deaths are obviously disheartening and shocking, a foiled mass suicide is perhaps the most chilling tale to creep out of Pine Ridge.

Since December, 103 people have attempted suicide on the reservation so far, and, shockingly, out of 103 people, 9 young children between the age of 12 to 24 have died.

Back in February 2015, Pastor John Two Bulls was informed that a group of teenagers had planned to take their lives by committing mass suicide. After rushing to the spot, he spotted a cluster of nooses hanging from the trees and a group of teenagers who were gathered at the spot. Fortunately, Pastor John Two Bulls reached the spot on time and the teenagers were offered help before they could take any harsh step. Had not the Pastor reached there on time, the scenario would have been very different.

Possible and actual theories behind the suicides :

The tale of Walking Sam is captivating, however, it is believed that poverty could be the reason behind the mass suicides.The Pine Ridge Reservation has some of the worst rates of alcoholism and drug abuse, violence and unemployment in America.Life expectancy rate of men is below 50 years, in the PIne Ridge Reservation, which is the lowest in the Western Hemisphere.

Racism is believed to be another reason behind the teens committing suicide. Santana Janis, who killed herself only at the age of 12 years, was called a filthy Indian in a hotel, days before she died. Pine Ridge students were harassed as they were drenched with beer and forced to leave a hockey game outside the reservation for their own safety just two months ago. Teen suicides are disheartening and tearing down the Tribe.

So is it a mere myth haunting the tribes of South Dakota or a real case behind the curtains ?

#walkingsam #suicidespirit #suicide #urban legends

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