Other incidents reported are the sound of ghostly footsteps on the wooden floors of these old houses at all hours of the day and night. Families would even hear the sound of rattling dishes in their kitchens, as if the ghosts were going through the daily task of washing dishes after a meal. Some families reported hearing very young babies crying. I know that the people were concerned about these ghosts, but for whatever reason, eventually they got accustomed to their “visitors.” They knew why the ghosts were occupying their houses, and about the Japanese sad history, so Indian families knew the ghosts would not hurt them. They just decided to live with them. Some families “smudged” their homes with sage smoke and offered prayers to the spirits. Not too long ago, a group of traditional Japanese people visited our reservation and performed religious ceremonies. It was sad to see because they would break down and cry and hug each other. There is so much sorrow and sadness associated with the relocation. The Japanese built a stone monument on our reservation to mark that part of their history.
Being a Nu Wu, I’ve been very accustomed to seeing things that non-Indians would regard as supernatural. I know that these things do exist so I have been raised to be very respectful and just to let them be. I can sense the presence of shadows and light, or auras that animals have. It’s something that comes natural to me. Many of our Native American people still practice our beautiful spirituality. I also know that there are “spiritual power sites” in the hills and mountains located in the reservation and in the surrounding area. There is a lot of very powerful energy here. I know that our medicine people know about these sacred areas and spiritual sites, but we don’t talk about these places to anyone. That’s just the way it is.”
Franklin McCabe III’s (Navajo) Story
“I’m a Navajo and originally from Provo, Utah. I’m currently employed at the reservation as the Recreation Director of our gymnasium, Irataba Hall. I’ve lived at this reservation for twenty-two years, since I was three years old. My first experience with a ghost took place when I was approximately five years old. I recall that I was lying on my bed in my room, day dreaming about something. Suddenly, I heard something moving about the room. I turned my head in the direction of where there was a rocking chair. Then I saw the strangest thing—the chair was rocking back and forth all on its own! There was no wind coming into the room from my window and, at the time, I was alone in the house. It just kept rocking and rocking. Then it stopped. I did tell my parents about this, but perhaps because I was a child, they must have thought it would be best to say nothing. But sometime later, when she thought I was old enough to know and after we had moved out of the house, my mother told me that a woman used to live in our house prior to us, and the woman’s bedroom, where she had died, was my bedroom. Of course when I heard this, I was startled by the news, and reflected on all the time I had spent in that room by myself.
As I said before, the rocking chair was my first experience with something ghostly. But as recently as two years ago, I had a more direct and scary encounter. An ongoing haunting, which is kind of common knowledge on the reservation, takes place at the gymnasium which I manage. Our gymnasium has quite an interesting history. Prior to 1965, there was a hospital located on the grounds, utilizing a portion of the gymnasium. I understand that the Japanese who were held in the nearby interment camps during the war were sent to this hospital. I don’t think people would disagree with me about the fact that perhaps the hauntings at the gym have something to do with this history. A lot of people on the reservation have heard the stories about the gymnasium being haunted, and some can even give their own stories about seeing apparitions or ghosts there.
Beginning at the start of my employment at the gymnasium, others and I have many times felt the presence of heaviness, or a sense of negativity, there. My experience at the gymnasium began one evening as I arrived to finish some work I had started earlier in the day. Two friends and I arrived at around about 5 p.m. having the only keys, I unlocked the front entrance door, and we all made our way into the kitchen. We were planning a barbecue the following day, so we were there to check on the supply of food for the event. We were alone in the building, just the three of us. As we went about our business, we were startled by the sound of a very high-pitched woman’s scream coming from the basketball court. The scream was so eerie that it sent chills up all our spines. We looked at each other and immediately high-tailed it out of the gymnasium to the parking lot where we had parked our car. I guess reason must have stepped in and made me think that perhaps a woman in trouble caused the scream. We talked among ourselves and decided to cautiously return to the gym and search for an injured woman. As we re-entered the building we kept our ears and eyes ready for any suspicious noise or movement. We searched the whole gymnasium, looking in lockers and under the bleachers. All the doors were locked and the bathrooms and halls were empty. We found no evidence of anyone being inside.
Not long after this, there was another haunting incident that occurred one evening, during a youth sleep over at the gymnasium. The kids brought their sleeping bags and everyone gathered on the stage area of the basketball court. The plan that night was to sleep on the stage floor. Once all the kids were inside the gym, I closed and locked all the doors, making sure there were no drugs or alcohol that might be sneaked into the facility. As the evening progressed, I was having a conversation with a student, while everyone was talking and having his or her own lively social interactions. I was standing, facing the student, having a clear and direct view of the two doors that open to the hallway out from the basketball court. Then something unusual caught my eye. I noticed a white ghostly figure, which was standing at one of the doors! It also must have noticed me looking in its direction, because it moved away into the hall. Startled, I kept still. Then it quickly reappeared at the next door! I can explain the image as being a big white blur-like vapor.
Apparently, I was not the only one at the time who witnessed the apparition, because when I mentioned what I had just seen to those gathered next to me, a few students excitedly admitted they also saw the exact same ghostly figure. This apparition left us un-nerved to the extent that we all agreed to gather together in the middle of the basketball court and sleep close to each other in a big circle. Our sense of safety in numbers soon came to a sudden end. As we were about to call it a night, every single storage door that is located below the stage where we had been gathered just a few minutes before swung open. Seeing this, everyone got quite scared. I had to explain to everyone that there was nothing to be afraid of, and with some effort, eventually emotions settled down.
Another paranormal experience took place at the gymnasium during, of all times, a 1998 Halloween event. Once again, several persons were there to serve as witnesses. At the time, the gymnasium was decorated with halloween paper decorations, and everyone was in the mood for a good time. The event was entitled: “The Haunted Gym.” It wasn’t long before our festive attitude ended. Hours before the evening’s festivities were to begin I, along with my assistants, made sure that there wasn’t anyone in the gym aside from us and a couple of helpers. We were all gathered in the basketball court discussing something or other, when the sound of footsteps began. We immediately got quiet, and the sound of someone moving paper started up. We knew that the ghosts were walking about once again.
Knowing the stories of the gymnasium being haunted, we decided to exit the gym, and wasted no time in running out the door! Once outside, a few of us with a bit more bravery decided to re-enter the gym and investigate. My younger 15-year-old brother accompanied me with four other helpers, as we did a security walk-through. Once more we heard the footsteps start up, only this time they were just about six feet away from us! What a scare! We stood looking at each other with big, wide eyes. We soon joined the others waiting for us outside.
There have also been instances when objects at the gymnasium were be moved by invisible hands. I also know of staff witnessing basketballs bouncing about the gym without having being touched.