Native American curses refer to the belief that certain rituals or incantations performed by Native American tribes could bring about negative consequences or misfortune upon an individual or a group of people. These curses were believed to be a form of spiritual punishment, often used as a means of justice or revenge. In Native American cultures, curses were typically cast by shamans or medicine men who believed they had the power to communicate with the spirit world and manipulate supernatural forces. The curses were often directed towards individuals who had violated tribal customs or caused harm to the community. The methods used to cast a curse varied among different tribes and regions. Some curses were believed to have been cast through the recitation of specific words or prayers, while others involved the use of certain objects or rituals.
THE CORNSTALK CURSE
Some curses were believed to have been cast through the recitation of specific words or prayers, while others involved the use of certain objects or rituals. In some cases, curses were believed to have been placed upon an individual through physical contact, such as the transfer of an object or the administration of certain substances. The effects of a Native American curse were believed to be wide-ranging and could include physical illness, mental distress, financial ruin, or social isolation.
IS THIS WEST VIRGINIA MYSTERY LINKED TO THE "MOTHMAN" AND OTHER STRANGE HAPPENINGS IN THE REGION?
Almost two centuries before the shadow of the Mothman reared its head in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, the land around the Ohio River ran red with blood. As the inhabitants of the American colonies began to push their way to the west, and later fought for their independence from Britain, they entered into deadly combat with the Native American inhabitants of the land. Perhaps their greatest foe in these early Indian wars was Chief Cornstalk, who later became a friend to the Americans. But treachery, deception and murder would bring an end to the chief’s life and a curse that he placed on Point Pleasant would linger for 200 years, bringing tragedy, death and disaster.
There is no denying that the southeastern corner of Ohio, and the surrounding area of West Virginia, is considered by many to be one of the most haunted areas of the country. West Virginia has long been thought of as one of the strangest parts of the country in regards to ghosts, legends and strange happenings. This part of the country, which was originally a part of Virginia, was regarded by the Native Americans as a “haunted” spot, plagued with ghost lights, phantoms and strange creatures. The town of Parkersburg, just north on the river from Point Pleasant, has more than its share of ghosts and nearby is Athens County, Ohio, home to the most haunted city in the entire state.
But how did this region gain such a reputation? Why are many people not surprised to find stories of the Mothman, phantom inhabitants and mysterious creatures roaming this part of the country? There have been a number of theories to explain the large number of haunted happenings here, including that this area may be some sort of “window” between dimensions. This would, according to the theories, allow paranormal phenomenon to come and go and vanish at will, just as the Mothman did after 13 months of appearing around Point Pleasant.
Those researchers with a historical bent have offered their own solutions though. They have traced the supernatural roots of the region back to a bloody event from the days of the American Revolution.. and a great curse.
As the American frontiersmen began to move west in the 1770’s, seven nations of Indians (the Shawnee, Delaware, Wyandot, Mingo, Miami, Ottawa and Illinois) formed a powerful confederacy to keep the white men from infringing on their territory. The Shawnee were the most powerful of the tribes and were led by a feared and respected chieftain called “Keigh-tugh-gua”, which translates to mean “Cornstalk”. In 1774, when the white settlers were moving down into the Kanawha and Ohio River valleys, the Indian Confederacy prepared to protect their lands by any means necessary. The nations began to mass in a rough line across the point from the Ohio River to the Kanawha River, numbering about 1200 warriors. They began to make preparations to attack the white settlers near an area called Point Pleasant on the Virginia side of the Ohio River. As word reached the colonial military leaders of the impending attack, troops were sent in and faced off against the Indians. While the numbers of fighters were fairly even on both sides, the Native Americans were no match for the muskets of the white soldiers. The battle ended with about 140 colonials killed and more than twice that number of Indians. The tribes retreated westward into the wilds of what is now Ohio and in order to keep them from returning, a fort was constructed at the junction of the Kanawha and Ohio Rivers.
As time passed, the Shawnee leader, Cornstalk, made peace with the white men. He would carry word to his new friends in 1777 when the British began coaxing the Indians into attacking the rebellious colonies. Soon, the tribes again began massing along the Ohio River, intent on attacking the fort. Cornstalk and Red Hawk, a Delaware chief, had no taste for war with the Americans and they went to the fort on November 7 to try and negotiate a peace before fighting began. Cornstalk told Captain Arbuckle, who commanded the garrison, that he was opposed to war with the colonists but that only he and his tribe were holding back from joining on the side of the British. He was afraid that he would be forced to go along by the rest of the Confederacy.
When he admitted to Arbuckle that he would allow his men to fight if the other tribes did, Cornstalk, Red Hawk and another Indian were taken as hostages. The Americans believed that they could use him to keep the other tribes from attacking. They forced the Native Americans into a standoff for none of them wanted to risk the life of their leader. Cornstalk’s name not only stuck fear into hearts of the white settlers up and down the frontier, but it also garnered respect from the other Indian tribes. He was gifted with great oratory skills, fighting ability and military genius. In fact, it was said that when his fighting tactics were adopted by the Americans, they were able to defeat the British in a number of battles where they had been both outnumbered and outgunned.
Although taken as hostage, Cornstalk and the other Indians were treated well and were given comfortable quarters, leading many to wonder if the chief’s hostage status may have been voluntary in the beginning. Cornstalk even assisted his captors in plotting maps of the Ohio River Valley during his imprisonment. On November 9, Cornstalk’s son, Ellinipisco, came to the fort to see his father and he was also detained.
The following day, gunfire was heard from outside the walls of the fort, coming from the direction of the Kanawha River. When men went out to investigate, they discovered that two soldiers who had left the stockade to hunt deer had been ambushed by Indians. One of them had escaped but the other man had been killed.
When his bloody corpse was returned to the fort, the soldiers in the garrison were enraged. Acting against orders, they broke into the quarters were Cornstalk and the other Indians were being held. Even though the men had nothing to do with the crime, they decided to execute the prisoners as revenge. As the soldiers burst through the doorway, Cornstalk rose to meet them. It was said that he stood facing the soldiers with such bravery that they paused momentarily in their attack. It wasn’t enough though and the soldiers opened fire with their muskets. Red Hawk tried to escape up through the chimney but was pulled back down and slaughtered. Ellinipisico was shot where he had been sitting on a stool and the other unknown Indian was strangled to death. As for Cornstalk, he was shot eight times before he fell to the floor.
And as he lay their dying in the smoke-filled room, he was said to have pronounced his now legendary curse. The stories say that he looked upon his assassins and spoke to them: “I was the border man’s friend. Many times I have saved him and his people from harm. I never warred with you, but only to protect our wigwams and lands. I refused to join your paleface enemies with the red coats. I came to the fort as your friend and you murdered me. You have murdered by my side, my young son. For this, may the curse of the Great Spirit rest upon this land. May it be blighted by nature. May it even be blighted in its hopes. May the strength of its peoples be paralyzed by the stain of our blood.”
He spoke these words, so says the legend, and then he died. The bodies of the other Indians were then taken and dumped into the Kanawha River but Cornstalk’s corpse was buried near the fort on Point Pleasant, overlooking the junction of the Kanawha and Ohio Rivers. Here he remained in many years, but he would not rest in peace.
In 1794, the town of Point Pleasant was established near the site of the old fort. For many years after, the Indian’s grave lay undisturbed but in 1840 his bones were removed to the grounds of the Mason County Court House where, in 1899, a monument was erected in Cornstalk’s memory. In the late 1950’s, a new court house was built in Point Pleasant and the chief’s remains (which now consisted of three teeth and about 15 pieces of bone) were placed in an aluminum box and reinterred in a corner of the town’s Tu-Endie-Wei Park, next to the grave of a Virginia frontiersman that Cornstalk once fought and later befriended. A twelve foot monument was then erected in his honor.
And this is not the only monument dedicated to the period in Point Pleasant. Another stands 86-feet tall and was dedicated in August 1909, one month behind schedule. Originally, the dedication ceremony had been set for July 22 but on the night before the event, the clear overhead sky erupted with lightning and struck the upper part of a crane that was supposed to put the monument into place. The machine was badly damaged and it took nearly a month to repair it. The monument was finally dedicated and stood for years, until July 4, 1921. On that day, another bolt of lightning struck the monument, damaging the capstone and some granite blocks. They were replaced and the monument still stands today. But what is this bedeviled obelisk that seems to attract inexplicable lightning on otherwise clear evenings? It is a monument to the men who died in the 1774 Battle of Point Pleasant, when Cornstalk and his allies were defeated.
Could the freak lightning strikes have been acts of vengeance tied to Cornstalk’s fabled curse? Many believed so and for years, residents of the triangular area made up of western West Virginia, southwest Pennsylvania and southeastern Ohio spoke of strange happenings, river tragedies and fires as part of the curse. Of course, many laughed and said that the curse was nothing more than overactive imaginations, ignoring the death toll and eerie coincidences that seemed to plague the region for 200 years after the death of Chief Cornstalk.
Many tragedies and disasters were blamed on the curse:
1907: The worst coal mine disaster in American history took place in Monongah, West Virginia on December 6, when 310 miners were killed.
1944: In June of this year, 150 people were killed when a tornado ripped through the tri-state triangular area.
The Ute Indian Curse
Almost 150 years ago, the Ute Indians are said to have placed a curse on the Crystal River Valley because of a broken promise, forever dooming to failure “the white man’s” pursuits in the area.
The Crystal Valley was one of the last drainages left to the Ute Indians when places like Aspen, Glenwood Springs and Meeker were settled by miners and ranchers. According to “Marble, Colorado: City of Stone” by Duane Vandebusche and Rex Myers, Utes and local settlers signed an agreement in 1860 for the Utes to remain in the lush Elk Mountains as long as the “rivers ran and the grasses grew.”
But precious metals were discovered in the valley in the 1870s and the Indians were asked to leave. The book claims that Indians attempted to burn the valley before they were placed on a reservation. When asked why they were setting fires, Chief Colorow of the local Ute Tribe cursed the valley, saying that “anything the white man did in the future would be destined to failure.”
“It’s generally believed. There’s plenty of evidence that while the white man did prosper with the Marble quarry, there were many hard times,” says Sue McEvoy, caretaker of the Redstone Castle and local tour guide. “There was once a huge avalanche that wiped out the entire town, and other times when the owners of the marble operations were killed.”
McEvoy takes the story a step further, noting that in 1882 John Cleveland Osgood began to build his local coal empire, which his widow ultimately lost in a stock buyout to John D. Rockefeller.
“It was the pinnacle of his career, and Redstone was a showpiece of prosperity, but ultimately it was all lost,” she says.
Osgood operated the coal mines near Redstone for just 10 years, after spending millions of dollars on housing, a school and a store for his workers, not to mention his own 42-room mansion.
“It was a large industrial collapse,” McEvoy says. “A lot of books talk about Chief Colorow, and about his ghost coming back here because his wife was buried in the Crystal Valley.”
Even the post-Osgood history of the Redstone Castle has been tumultuous. Over the years the castle has bounced back and forth from owner to owner as a bed-and-breakfast, a spa, and a venue for cocktail parties and weddings.
In 2000 Debbie and Leon Harte purchased the castle for $6 million. But three years later, after an extensive investigation, the Internal Revenue Service seized the castle. Investors in the Harte’s Tranquil Options, LLC, claimed the Hartes had promised returns but instead used their money to buy the lavish castle.
The building is now in the hands of the IRS, and tours have stopped for the winter. Leon Harte died from a heart attack in June, and the castle’s future is uncertain. It seems that even the venerable Redstone Castle isn’t immune from the Ute chief’s curse.
Skinwalkers Shapeshifters and Native American Curses (Paperback)
It was also believed that the effects of a curse could be passed down through generations, affecting not only the cursed individual but also their descendants. Curses were taken very seriously in Native American cultures, and individuals who believed they were cursed often sought the assistance of a shaman or medicine man to have the curse lifted. The process of removing a curse typically involved the performance of rituals, the use of herbal remedies, and the casting of counter-spells to neutralize the negative energy. While curses were a part of traditional Native American beliefs, it is important to note that not all Native American tribes practiced or believed in curses. The belief in curses varied among tribes and was tied to their specific cultural and spiritual traditions. In modern times, Native American curses are often viewed as superstitions or folklore. However, some individuals still believe in the power of curses and take precautions to protect themselves from potential curses or negative energies. It is important to respect and understand the cultural significance and beliefs surrounding Native American curses, even if they are not universally accepted or understood..
Reviews for "The Curse of the White Buffalo: Native American Legends and the Last Great Hunt"
1. Sarah - 2 stars:
I was really disappointed with "Native American Curses". The book felt incredibly insensitive towards Native American culture and the way it portrayed their curses was downright offensive. Instead of providing a nuanced perspective or exploring the rich history and beliefs of Native Americans, the book reduced it all to fictionalized and caricatured representations. I do not recommend this book if you're looking for an accurate and respectful depiction of Native American curses.
2. Mike - 1 star:
"Native American Curses" was a complete letdown for me. I expected to learn about the fascinating curses and their cultural significance, but instead, I found a book filled with stereotypes and misinformation. The author clearly didn't do their research properly, as many of the curses mentioned were inaccurate or exaggerated. It's disrespectful to Native American communities and does a disservice to anyone seeking genuine knowledge on the subject. Save your money and look for more reputable sources if you want to explore Native American curses.
3. Emily - 2 stars:
I regret buying "Native American Curses". The book lacked any depth or meaningful analysis of the curses it claimed to discuss. It read more like a collection of campfire tales rather than a well-researched exploration of Native American culture. The author's storytelling was often shallow and relied heavily on stereotypes, which made it hard to take anything in the book seriously. It's a missed opportunity to provide an informative and respectful resource on the topic.
4. Jonathan - 1 star:
As someone interested in Native American history and folklore, I was deeply disappointed with "Native American Curses". The book completely missed the mark by sensationalizing and exaggerating the curses, rather than providing a comprehensive understanding of their cultural significance. It felt like a cheap attempt to capitalize on the supernatural aspect of curses, rather than fostering genuine appreciation and respect for Native American traditions. I would advise looking elsewhere for a more authentic and nuanced perspective on Native American curses.