Tradition: Sioux Mythology, American Mythology
Alternative Names: Ghost of Ghost Creek, Wandering Warrior Spirit
Category: Ghost
The Myth
The Ghost Creek Spirit is the restless ghost of a great Sioux warrior who was killed by an enemy while hiding in the woods. According to the story, the warrior was ambushed and shot before he could defend himself. Because he was killed through treachery rather than in open battle, his spirit could not join his fallen companions in the Happy Hunting Grounds. Instead, he was condemned to wander the woods around a creek known as Ghost Creek, waiting for a brave person willing to listen to his story and help him obtain vengeance. The place was feared by travelers, for those who camped there were said to be disturbed by the ghost during the night, and those who fled from him or attacked him never returned home.
One cold autumn evening, two young warriors named Hake and Chaske sought shelter at Ghost Creek while traveling through enemy territory. A heavy snowstorm was approaching, and the thick woods offered protection from the wind. They built a small shelter from willow branches, prepared a meal of dried buffalo meat and buffalo tallow, and were about to eat when a man silently entered and sat beside them. Hake welcomed the stranger, offered him food and tea, and Chaske passed him a pipe. After eating and smoking, the stranger revealed that he was not a living man but the wandering spirit of a warrior slain in those woods. Unlike earlier travelers, who had fled or attacked him, the two young men had treated him with courage and hospitality.
The spirit asked Hake and Chaske to avenge his death by killing the enemy responsible and bringing him the man’s scalp. He explained that the killer lived in a large winter village beyond the hills and described how the two warriors could recognize him: an old man who rode a white horse, led a black horse, and drove a herd of approximately one hundred horses. After killing and scalping this man, the young warriors were to attack two additional enemies at the hunting grounds and then meet the spirit on a high knoll, where he would show them the location of the horses. Once they gave him the scalp of his killer, he promised, his spirit would finally disappear. He also warned them that snow would begin falling after his departure and conceal their trail, but they must travel for three days and nights without stopping to escape pursuit. The spirit further revealed that he was the grandfather of Pretty Feather, the young woman Hake hoped to marry, and the father of the great Medicine Man. In the surviving passage, the two friends follow his instructions by hiding in the brush and watching the enemy hunting party pass, preparing to carry out the spirit’s demand for vengeance.
Sources
McLaughlin, Marie L. Myths and Legends of the Sioux. Bismarck, N.D.: Bismarck Tribune Co., 1916. https://archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22McLaughlin%2C+Marie+L.%2C+1842-%22