View Full Version : Oklahoma Myths



andimthomas
07-26-2009, 03:10 PM
I just finished watching The Blair Witch Project(which by the way- was a total waste of time and was a horrible movie) and found the myth used in the movie to be quite fascinating. The movie was based on the real myth of the Bell Witch.
I was wondering if anyone knows any scary myths that take place in Oklahoma.

ronronnie1
07-27-2009, 09:13 PM
My grandma was Comanche, and she would tell us all about the "Indian ghost stories." Certain places were "more haunted," usually around large concentrations of Native American land. I loved the story of the gap. The gap is a stretch of (used to be) abandoned highway north of the Wichita Mts. It stretches from Medicine Park to west of Apache. Supposedly there's a cemetery off the road over some hills, and the highway is basically plagued with weird sh!t. A headless horesman hangs out there too. And then there is the area west of Anadarko. I miss her ghost stories. They were always so interesting.

PennyQuilts
07-28-2009, 04:50 AM
How nice to have those stories from your grandma. My dad was quite the ghost story teller, too.

dismayed
07-28-2009, 10:06 AM
There's a great book called "Mysterious Oklahoma!" that you might be interested in.

PennyQuilts
07-28-2009, 11:18 AM
There's a great book called "Mysterious Oklahoma!" that you might be interested in.

I have that book! I gave it to my dad before he passed and I inherited it, back. I haven't read it but need to take a look-see.

dismayed
07-28-2009, 10:12 PM
I have that book! I gave it to my dad before he passed and I inherited it, back. I haven't read it but need to take a look-see.

Yeah you definitely do! There are some great chapters in there about things I have heard from family members but never really seen written down anywhere... everything from ghost stories, to "spook lights," to large wild cats roaming the prairies.

BBatesokc
07-29-2009, 03:14 PM
I remember ghost stories about Carrie's Place.

Also, the abandoned school in Guthrie (or something like that).

The current myth I still deal with is people outside Oklahoma think all live on farms and Indians still live in TeePees.

icecold
07-29-2009, 03:37 PM
My 7th grade Geography teacher (full blood Indian) use to always tell us stories of "the little people." I cant remember any story in particular but I just know they use to be very entertaining.

PennyQuilts
07-29-2009, 03:40 PM
The current myth I still deal with is people outside Oklahoma think all live on farms and Indians still live in TeePees.

I actually have people tell me here on the east coast that people in Oklahoma live in underground houses and that the reason there aren't too many two story houses is because of the tornados. True story.

hagrid
07-29-2009, 05:10 PM
My 7th grade Geography teacher (full blood Indian) use to always tell us stories of "the little people." I cant remember any story in particular but I just know they use to be very entertaining.

Yes, I have also heard many stories of the Little People from tribes formerly from around the Great Lakes (Citizen Pottawatomie) to the Cherokee.

The plains tribes have many stories that would scare the poo out of you and as children we reveled in them. Still do, actually.

As far as myths, the only absurd one I heard was while attending college in another state, someone said to me, you mean you Indians can buy booze now?

I said, uh yeah, this is 1992, not 1492 or something like that.

ronronnie1
07-30-2009, 05:02 PM
My 7th grade Geography teacher (full blood Indian) use to always tell us stories of "the little people." I cant remember any story in particular but I just know they use to be very entertaining.

The little people or "nuna-pay" in Comanche - little elf-like people that hide from the world.

According to my grandma, if you see one of these little people then you're supposed to live for a very long time. My aunt saw 2 and lived to be 90 years old lol.

kevinpate
07-31-2009, 04:49 AM
Glad she saw two. Seeing only one would have taken her from you that much earlier.

gmwise
07-31-2009, 05:44 AM
I am always amazed how people view others in other states.
We in Oklahoma see people from California or New York to violent or to snobbish or liberal.lol
Where as those same people assume all Oklahomans are trailer park living,gun toting,tobacco chewing,beer bellied,bible thumping, barely educated bigots.
I wished more entertainment TV was set aside for educational programs..

kevinpate
08-01-2009, 04:17 AM
who they calling barely edchumacated? Many of us done made it through the 5th grade, and some of us gone and done it three times!

A Minion And Proud
06-01-2013, 02:28 PM
I actually have people tell me here on the east coast that people in Oklahoma live in underground houses and that the reason there aren't too many two story houses is because of the tornados. True story.

They lied to you, we have plenty of two story houses here and if a tornado's coming our way we get in our cellars/storm shelters. I don't know of anyone who lives underground...

RadicalModerate
06-02-2013, 04:52 PM
(From July 2009)

Yes, I have also heard many stories of the Little People from tribes formerly from around the Great Lakes (Citizen Pottawatomie) to the Cherokee.

The plains tribes have many stories that would scare the poo out of you and as children we reveled in them. Still do, actually.

As far as myths, the only absurd one I heard was while attending college in another state, someone said to me, you mean you Indians can buy booze now?

I said, uh yeah, this is 1992, not 1492 or something like that.

Now I can't make up my mind about the veracity of the story that the reason tipis (teepees) are shaped the way they are is to ward off tornadoes.

bchris02
06-02-2013, 06:16 PM
I actually have people tell me here on the east coast that people in Oklahoma live in underground houses and that the reason there aren't too many two story houses is because of the tornados. True story.

Some of my friends back in Charlotte have asked me if OKC has electricity, indoor plumbing, the Internet, and if people still ride horses - no joke.

kevinpate
06-02-2013, 10:26 PM
... don't know of anyone who lives underground...

Known of a few. Some weren't even hiding out.

KayneMo
06-02-2013, 10:27 PM
My Choctaw elders have shared stories with us about "little people" as well. We call them "konikusha". The stories always scared me, lol.

Achilleslastand
06-02-2013, 10:51 PM
Some of my friends back in Charlotte have asked me if OKC has electricity, indoor plumbing, the Internet, and if people still ride horses - no joke.

I had a friend in Infantry School ask me about the same. Do you guys ride horses there and have dirt floors haha,,,i thought that was funny. Kinda like me not understanding how a kid from Detriot had no idea how to swim.

Plutonic Panda
06-03-2013, 12:18 AM
I just finished watching The Blair Witch Project(which by the way- was a total waste of time and was a horrible movie) and found the myth used in the movie to be quite fascinating. The movie was based on the real myth of the Bell Witch.
I was wondering if anyone knows any scary myths that take place in Oklahoma.The first was alright and the second was just dumb!

Plutonic Panda
06-03-2013, 12:25 AM
They lied to you, we have plenty of two story houses here and if a tornado's coming our way we get in our cellars/storm shelters. I don't know of anyone who lives underground...There is a house here in Edmond that is partially underground. It's down on Covell shortly past Midwest Blvd. Really cool. It's actually built into a hill. Also, yes, we have many two story houses all over the place. Don't why they would think that.

Achilleslastand
06-03-2013, 12:43 AM
I just finished watching The Blair Witch Project(which by the way- was a total waste of time and was a horrible movie) and found the myth used in the movie to be quite fascinating. The movie was based on the real myth of the Bell Witch.
I was wondering if anyone knows any scary myths that take place in Oklahoma.

The witch of Kitchen Lake?
Haunt in Kitchen Lake Bridge SE 149th and SE 119th Oklahoma City, Ok 73170 Oklahoma City, OKLAHOMA Oklahoma Haunt (http://www.strangeusa.com/Viewlocation.aspx?id=7934#sthash.VXjoUnhP.dpbs)

Plutonic Panda
06-03-2013, 12:47 AM
The witch of Kitchen Lake?
Haunt in Kitchen Lake Bridge SE 149th and SE 119th Oklahoma City, Ok 73170 Oklahoma City, OKLAHOMA Oklahoma Haunt (http://www.strangeusa.com/Viewlocation.aspx?id=7934#sthash.VXjoUnhP.dpbs)You know, I might travel out there one night and see what happens. I enjoy doing that kind of stuff lol

Bunty
06-03-2013, 01:37 AM
Some of my friends back in Charlotte have asked me if OKC has electricity, indoor plumbing, the Internet, and if people still ride horses - no joke.

Except for the Internet, sounds like what Oklahoma City people would ask of the people coming into town from the farm in 1950.

zookeeper
06-03-2013, 02:04 AM
Some of my friends back in Charlotte have asked me if OKC has electricity, indoor plumbing, the Internet, and if people still ride horses - no joke.

I've traveled to Charlotte three times in the last couple of years and I never get those questions. What I did hear are comments about how they see our city on a lot of Best Places to Live lists, heard about unreal housing prices and hear good things in general about Oklahoma City. Maybe these friends of yours are just a little young? I suppose we might travel in different circles. I've been there for fundraising trips and dealt with people from BofA, Duke Energy and Lowes. Nice folks in Charlotte and a great city.

SoonerDave
06-03-2013, 07:33 AM
I remember while on vacation in California in 1984 getting the same response as people noticed my OU windbreaker. They referred to OK as "back east," which at least made some degree of sense from an "everything is relative" POV, but when they were asking about tumbleweeds and stuff I was stunned. They were absolutely legit questions. There are people (and I'd wager they're on both coasts) that really believe OKC is a tumbleweed and prairie town with Indian teepees and bows and arrows flying from all directions.

I fully recognize Oklahoma isn't as cosmopolitan as other areas (which suits me just fine, BTW), but for the other parts of the country to have such a stereotypical notion is really startling.

Achilleslastand
06-03-2013, 10:22 AM
You know, I might travel out there one night and see what happens. I enjoy doing that kind of stuff lol

Good lucking finding it tho as ive heard its hard to locate.
But hey ill go with....you bring the flashlight and ill bring the shotgun!

Snowman
06-03-2013, 11:42 AM
Some of my friends back in Charlotte have asked me if OKC has electricity, indoor plumbing, the Internet, and if people still ride horses - no joke.

I got pretty much the same question in Hawaii (except for the Internet since it was late 80s at the time). My guess was that they only heard anything about Oklahoma through history class or the musical.

MadMonk
06-03-2013, 04:01 PM
Some of my friends back in Charlotte have asked me if OKC has electricity, indoor plumbing, the Internet, and if people still ride horses - no joke.
I have family in the Charlotte area. One of my aunts once asked me if they still have "Injuns" out there in Oklahoma? I told her yeah, all over the place and if you get attacked the best defense is to team up with other Okies and drive your cars in a circle while the passengers shoot at 'em.

My aunt is not a clever woman.

But, I completely understand. As a young man, when my dad told me we were moving to Oklahoma, the first things that came to mind were scenes from The Grapes of Wrath and dustbowl conditions. ;)

Plutonic Panda
06-03-2013, 06:07 PM
Good lucking finding it tho as ive heard its hard to locate.
But hey ill go with....you bring the flashlight and ill bring the shotgun!Hey I'm down haha. . . I might bring a piece too, you can't be too sure lol, don't know what a slug would do to a witch anyways, but might be interesting to find out, unless she's a good witch haha ;P

Achilleslastand
06-03-2013, 07:56 PM
Hey I'm down haha. . . I might bring a piece too, you can't be too sure lol, don't know what a slug would do to a witch anyways, but might be interesting to find out, unless she's a good witch haha ;P

You right what was i thinking......We just need a bucket of water to throw on her and then watch her scream "im melting".

Plutonic Panda
06-03-2013, 11:48 PM
You right what was i thinking......We just need a bucket of water to throw on her and then watch her scream "im melting".After that's all said and done, call your wife and be all like "you would not believe the day I just had!!!!!!!!" lol

RadicalModerate
06-04-2013, 07:41 AM
"The freeways in Oklahoma are often brought to a standstill while motorists yield at the Cattle Drive Crossing signs."
http://www.theus50.com/images/state-stamps/oklahoma-stamp.jpg

(The phantom cattle are being driven by ghost riders in the sky, so there is no good reason why traffic flow should be interrupted but people just stop to gawk.)