In South Dakota, A Mysterious Tall Figure Has Been Influencing Teen Suicides And Scaring Native Communities
The location is known for its history, including being an Indian reservation. Over time, a number of witnesses, including several police officers claimed to have seen a paranormal entity nicknamed “The Tall Man”. This long armed figure, has been compared to that of “Slender Man”. They are tall brooding figures, reaching heights upwards of around 7 to 8 feet.
This Tall Man figure, has allegedly influenced the deaths of teenagers living in the Sioux Falls area of South Dakota. One elderly woman described Walking Sam (The Tall Man) as a big man wearing a tall hat.
The figure emerged around a reservation, causing teens to fall into a mental state of depression ultimately ending their lives. Within the Pine Ridge reservation, there have been nine people who have died by their own hand here ages 12 to 24. The location is covered with vast grasslands and dusty plateaus where the wind blows.
“Since the month of December, a staggering 103 suicide attempts have occurred on the reservation, home to the Oglala Lakota sub-tribe of Sioux Native Americans. Out of these attempts, nine people between the ages of 12 and 24 have died. One witness account alleges that the number of attempted suicides was as high as 241 over a three-month period.“ – The Daily Dot
Walking Sam, was also spotted by officers and calls were recorded on police scanners. However, the police were unable to protect the community from him. This spirit or possible demon is nothing but pure evil. The elderly woman even sought help from Washington D.C. over the matter and different tribal communities.
The legend of this bizarre entity continues to live on. The Travel Channel series ‘Paranormal Emergency’ aired an episode entitled, “What If It Comes for Us”. This episode details and reenacts encounters regarding The Tall Man. Other names have been given to this tall figure including Chiye-tanka, Taku-he and Big Man.
James Twiss from the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety – the law enforcement agency for the Pine Ridge Reservation said on August 17, 2006:
“I am passing on information regarding the rash of sightings of a tall man or Bigfoot on the Pine Ridge reservation. During one of these sightings, I had our department’s thermal imaging camera and along with about six other officers, did in fact pick up a large heat signature on the camera.
Unfortunately, we don’t have a recorder yet for the camera so we weren’t able to record it. We watched as it moved away from us down a gully and it was missed by the other officers as they tried to find it using their flashlights.
It is hard to explain as it must have already been past the officers before they arrived on scene. We watched it go into the creek area which runs through town. We heard a flurry of dogs barking but wasn’t able to locate it.
Also to set the record straight, the first two sightings was called in as a tall (10 to 15 feet tall) [man] who appeared to be wearing a stove pipe hat and long coat. It was reported to be peeking into an apartment complex commons room where there were several witnesses.
This is strange as in the early 1980’s my brother was a police officer and responded to a call with another officer in the country (35 miles northeast of Pine Ridge) and when they arrived, the family was in the living room with their dogs and had turned their furniture into a fort in the living room and was armed with knives and whatever else they could find.
They advised that they had heard their dogs running into their front door and when they opened it the dogs ran in and was scared. The family reported seeing a large man (his hips was above the roof of their family car) wearing a stove pipe hat and had on a long coat.
My brother and the other officer went outside where the man was reported to be and saw that the light layer of ice was broken and the mud was disturbed where something had moved towards the creek area.
The family had the officers wait while they got together their belongings and had the officers escort them from the residence. This isn’t the only sighting we have here; they increase every spring and fall. – Officer James Twiss”
An update was later given to the Cryptomundo site, regarding the tall man figure:
“I do have some good news for you. We had [in January 2007] received 5 calls of a “large individual” causing a disturbance at a residence in the hill and pine covered area of the reservation in Wounded Knee, which is located in the north east of the village of Pine Ridge.
My patrol partners and I have witnessed tracks measuring some 13 inches in length and 8 1/2 inches width. The first call was on the second snowfall of [January 2007].
We responded to a call of an “unknown large individual” causing a disturbance in the yard of the residence in question. The reporting party described a 7 to 8 foot tall, thick hairy man with no face and long hair as it would sway with the wind.
The subject was said to take an interest in the pole yard light as it would look up at it and circle it. Their dogs were scared and hid under cars and the porch and were there upon our arrival. The family was so scared that we transported them to relatives in Pine Ridge.
We carry individual tape recorders in our units and pockets, and have recorded a yelling or screaming. We also now carry digital cameras with some interesting pictures of prints with Tribal units and officers in the background as we were investigating. Tribal Police Officer, Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota.”
Is it possible that “The Tall Man” is a Bigfoot? Maybe so, but the details of a furry body were not given in any witnesses s testimony yet. Whatever it is, this thing is tall and likely lives in the wilderness. Why it continues to terrorize people is unknown either. This is menacing force that has been considered to be highly dangerous.
How can multiple people (including several police officers) all witness the same thing? This may be more real than fantasy after all.
